V for Vendetta

FADE IN:

In the darkness, we hear a voice, a woman's voice. Her name

is Evey.

EVEY (V.O.)

"Remember, remember, the fifth of

November, the gunpowder treason and

plot. I know of now reason why the

gunpowder treason should ever be

forgot."

Her voice has a strength that is metered by a calmness, a

deep centered peace that we can feel.

EVEY (V.O.)

Those were almost the very first

words he spoke to me and, in a way,

that is where this story began,

four hundred years ago, in a cellar

beneath the Houses of Parliament.

In the darkness, we find a lantern. Guy Fawkes, a dangerous

man who wears a goatee, is struggling with a wheelbarrow

stacked with barrels of gunpowder.

EVEY (V.O.)

In 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted to

blow up the Houses of Parliament.

The wheelbarrow bumps over the heavy stone mortar of the

cellar floor. From the dark depths, we hear the sound of

dogs.

EVEY (V.O.)

He was caught in the cellars with

enough gunpowder to level most of

London.

Guy sees lanterns coming from both sides. He tries to run as

the dogs reach him first. He grabs for his sword as dozens

of pole axes pin him against the tunnel's stone wall.

EVEY (V.O.)

Sometimes I wonder where we would

be if he hadn't failed. I wonder

if it would have mattered.

In the dim pre-dawn light, Guy is led to the gallows.

EVEY (V.O.)

I suppose the answer is in the

rhyme. More than the man, what we

must remember is the plot itself.

The coarse noose of rope is snugged up to Guy's throat. He

looks into the crowd until he finds a face, a woman's face,

staring up at him.

EVEY (V.O.)

For in the plot we find more than

just a man, we find the idea of

that man, the spirit of that man,

and that is what we must never

forget.

The lever is thrown and the woman looks down, a tear falling

down her face.

EVEY (V.O.)

This, then, is the story of that

idea, of that spirit that began

with an anarchist's plot four

hundred years ago.

Guy's body hangs in silhouette, lifeless against a red

morning sun.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE

A young Evey sits on her father's lap, combing her Barbie's

hair.

EVEY (V.O.)

I was born near the end of the

millennium, the year 1997. My

father used to say that people were

so afraid that the world was going

to end that they were willing it to

happen.

Her father sits beside her mother on the living room couch,

watching the news. From the look on their faces, the news is

bad.

EVEY (V.O.)

I don't remember much of the

century's turn. I don't remember

the market crash or the plague or

any of the Trafalgar riots.

The television flickers with images of heavily armed soldiers

fighting in a shelled city.

EVEY (V.O.)

I've read about them since but I

don't recall how any of them

impacted my life except for the

fear. They would hide it from me,

like a secret between them.

Little Evey sees her father staring at her mother. They

take hold of each other's hand, clasping them tight.

EVEY (V.O.)

But I could feel it.

EXT. CITY STREET

It is a new day. People are gathered along the street as if

they were waiting for a parade.

EVEY (V.O.)

Of the chaos that seemed to swallow

the beginning of the 21st century,

there is one thing I do remember.

Evey holds her father's hand. Unable to see what is coming,

she can hear it.

EVEY (V.O.)

Very clearly, I can remember that

sound.

We hear them, hundreds of marching soldiers.

EVEY (V.O.)

And I remember those boots, black

leather that gleamed bright in the

morning sun. I had never seen such

boots. All moving in perfect

unison.

Little Evey hides in the forest of adults, clinging to her

father's leg, staring as row after row of boots march by with

military precision.

EXT. CITY STREET

In the midst of a political rally for the emerging new party

calling itself Norsefire, we find little Evey now on her

father's shoulders.

Dascombe, a young man, paces the podium, inciting the crowd.

DASCOMBE:

The time has come, London, to

return to a bygone age, an age of

tradition, an age of values that

have been disparaged and all but

forgotten. What this country needs

is a leader! A true leader to

remind us of that age. A righteous

leader with the strength of his

moral convictions to do what must

be done. I give you that man! I

give you our leader! Adam Susan!

Adam Susan rises and the crowd cheers. Evey's father looks

at her mother and again they clasp hands.

EVEY (V.O.)

It must have seemed so easy to

them. They offered such a simple

deal; give up control and we will

restore order.

INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE

Little Evey is asleep in her bedroom.

EVEY (V.O.)

At first, the arrests were

political. Dissidents. Radicals.

Liberals.

A loud crash of splintering wood wakes her up.

EVEY (V.O.)

When my parents were younger, they

had been activists. They had

marched with Labor in the great

train strike.

The sound of heavy boots swarms through the house.

LITTLE EVEY:

Mommy?

Her bedroom door bursts open and a heavily armed soldier

scoops her up.

She is carried through the dark house which is filled with

soldiers. On the floor of the living room, she sees her

parents being bound with plastic zip-ties.

MOTHER:

My daughter! Don't take my

daughter!

FATHER:

Evey! Evey!

LITTLE EVEY:

Mommy! Daddy!

A heavy black hood is pulled over each of her parent's heads

as Evey is carried out of the house.

EVEY (V.O.)

I never saw them again. Overnight,

my life, my entire world was

erased.

INT. BATHROOM

A nun with a switch in her crossed arms watches as Evey and

several other little girls scrub the floor of a dormitory

bathroom.

EVEY (V.O.)

It was done so quickly and

violently, so completely, that it

began to seem that it had never

even existed.

A tear rolls down Little Evey's cheek.

EXT. HOUSE

A gay man is dragged violently from his Piccadilly home.

Outside, he sees his lover being forced to the cobblestones.

EVEY (V.O.)

The homosexuals were next. What

God had started with AIDS had to be

finished by man. It was God's

work. That's what we were told.

He reaches for him as the clubs rise and fall, vicious and

bloody.

EVEY (V.O.)

But once they were gone, there was

someone else. Someone different.

In another neighborhood, we see the police arresting

Pakistanis.

EVEY (V.O.)

Someone dangerous.

In a different area, young black men are packed into a caged

van so tightly they are unable to move.

EVEY (V.O.)

There were those who understood

what was happening, who knew it was

wrong but who kept silent.

A young detective named Finch looks down as the van pulls

away. When he looks up, another man in a military uniform

whose name is Almond is watching him.

EVEY (V.O.)

And in the vacuum of that silence,

order was imposed.

Finch sticks his pipe in his mouth and turns away.

EXT. STREET

Again, we see the marching boots.

EVEY (V.O.)

Order that was like those boots,

order that required rigorous

discipline. Order that is exactly

the same, where each single step

falls with every step. The order

of the many shaped into one.

We move through the columns of marching soldiers to a wall

where a poster has been plastered up. The poster reads,

"Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith."

EVEY (V.O.)

Somehow in my heart, I knew it

wouldn't last.

As the sound of the marching fades, a shadow falls over the

sign.

After a moment, we hear the hiss of spray paint.

EVEY (V.O.)

What they thought they had crushed,

the spirit they believed trampled

and ground beneath the marching of

their boots, rose up, rose as if

from a four hundred year old grave,

rose to remind us all that day.

The shadow sprays a "V" over the poster.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

Close on a loudspeaker. There is one on every major street

corner.

FATE (V.O.)

Good evening, London. It's nine

o'clock, the fourth of November in

the year 2019 and this is the voice

of Fate broadcasting on 275 and 285

of the medium wave.

Beneath the loudspeaker is a surveillance system labeled,

"For your protection."

Bubble eyed lenses iris at the end of stalks that move,

insect-like, racheting and clicking as they watch a little

girl pedal her bicycle. The little girl glances nervously

over her shoulder up at the mechanical eyes watching her.

FATE (V.O.)

People of London, be advised --

EXT. EVEY'S APARTMENT

There is a radio on a small makeup table.

FATE (V.O.)

-- that Braxton and Streathon are

quarantine zones as of today.

Evey is now a young woman. She slips into a dress that is

little more than a nightgown. She tries to adjust it,

pulling it down at the hem, pulling it up at the thin

shoulder straps, but it is like trying to hide behind a

lamppost.

FATE (V.O.)

It is suggested that these area be

avoided for reasons of health and

safety.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Another radio in a room that seems to be of another world.

FATE (V.O.)

Good news following the

productivity reports from

Herefordshire indicating a possible

end to meat rationing starting mid

February.

A man enters the room as he once entered the world. His body

is lean and strong and though we do not see his face, there

is a strength in his carriage, a power to his presence.

INT. EVEY'S APARTMENT

She packs tissue paper into the toes of a pair of high heels

that are too big for her.

FATE (V.O.)

Police raided seventeen homes in

the Birmingham area, uncovering

what is believed to be a major

terrorist ring.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

We move over a dressing bureau, past a wig and over a pair of

black leather gloves, moving until we find the mask; it is

like something from the masquerade ball of another era. It

has an exaggerated goatee, harlequin cheeks and a smile,

forever fixed, at once be-guiling and be-deviling.

FATE (V.O.)

Twenty eight people, eight of them

women, are currently in detention

awaiting trial.

INT. EVEY'S APARTMENT

Evey coats her lips with a lascivious red. She stares into

the mirror, her makeup like a mask over her own face.

FATE (V.O.)

And that is the face of London

tonight.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

The man, now fully dressed in cloak, hat, and mask gazes into

the mirror.

This is V.

FATE (V.O.)

And this is the voice of Fate

signing off and bidding you a

pleasant evening.

EXT. CITY STREET

Close on Evey's high heels, stumbling and awkward as she

walks down a dark cobblestoned street.

EXT. CITY STREET

Close on V's boots walking in the opposite direction so that

it seems they are walking towards each other.

EVEY (V.O.)

I don't know what brought us

together that night. I had never

been to that part of Westminster

but ever since I've known him, I've

stopped believing in coincidence.

EXT. CITY STREET

Evey looks up and sees a man standing mostly in shadow.

EVEY:

Excuse me? Uh... excuse me,

Mister?

The man turns around. It is not V.

EVEY:

Would you like... uh, would you

like to sleep with me?

He smiles.

EVEY:

I mean, for money.

MAN:

That is the clumsiest bit of

propositioning I've ever heard.

EVEY:

Oh god, I'm sorry.

MAN:

Is this your first time, darling?

EVEY:

Yes, no, I mean for money. But I

know what you want and I'll do it.

She presses her body to his, using her little girl eyes and

her woman's mouth.

EVEY:

Anything you want, mister. Please,

I need the money. I know I'm young

but I promise I know what I'm

doing.

MAN:

No. You don't know what you're

doing.

He pulls out his wallet and shows her a badge. The sight of

it knocks the breath out of her.

EVEY:

Christ, you're a Fingerman.

FINGERMAN 1

Give the little lady a prize.

FINGERMAN 2

I've got something to give her.

Evey turns and there are more Fingermen behind her.

FINGERMAN 1

Prostitution is a class H offense.

Know what that means? It means

that we get to exercise our own

judicial discretion --

FINGERMAN 2

And you get to swallow it.

The Fingermen laugh.

EVEY:

Oh god, please. It's my first

time. Please don't hurt me.

FINGERMAN 1

Gosh, fellas, look at those big

innocent eyes. What do you think?

FINGERMAN 3

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

Fingerman 2 laughs hard as he drops his pants.

EVEY:

Oh no!

He shoves her face first against a brick wall, lifting her

dress to expose her bottom.

EVEY:

Please, don't!

FINGERMAN 3

You heard the man, sweetie. This

rod's for your own good.

Suddenly, they are no longer alone.

V:

"The multiplying villainies of

nature do swarm upon him."

FINGERMAN 3

What the hell --

V:

"And fortune, on his damned

quarrel, smiling, showed like a

rebel's whore."

FINGERMAN 1

We're police officers, pal.

FINGERMAN 4

We're with the Finger.

FINGERMAN 3

So bugger off!

V:

"Disdaining fortune with his

brandished steel, which smoked with

bloody execution."

In the clenched fist of black leather, we see a flash of

steel.

FINGERMAN 1

He's got a knife!

V attacks and at once we know this is no normal human being.

A single blow sends the largest of the Fingermen flying

backwards.

But more than his strength, it is his speed.

A gun is cocked but before the hammer falls, a knife is

buried in the Fingerman's chest and --

Before the body falls, the knife is gone.

It takes a handful of seconds and three bodies lay on the

ground. V turns to the last Fingerman who is struggling to

pull his pants up.

FINGERMAN 3

Jesus Christ! Don't hurt me!

V steps forward and he screams, bolting while holding his

pants up.

V:

Good evening.

EVEY:

Who -- Who are you?

V:

Me? I imagine all manner of names

shall be heaped upon my humble

visage but, for now, let us simply

say I am the villain.

He throws wide his cloak and bows deeply to her.

V:

And you would be?

EVEY:

Evey.

V:

Of course.

They hear sirens rushing towards them. In a blink, he scoops

her up and dashes into the shadows of a narrow alleyway.

EXT. ROOFTOPS

Police cars and several ambulances swarm over the area with

the dead Fingermen.

V watches them from above.

EVEY:

Why did you do that? Why did

you... help me?

V:

Why indeed?

He takes out an old antique pocket watch. It is almost

midnight.

V:

Almost time.

EVEY:

For what?

V:

For the music.

EVEY:

Music?

V:

Yes, music. My music. You see.

Evey, I am a performer.

EVEY:

Is that why you're wearing a mask?

V:

We all wear masks. Life creates

them and forces us to find the one

that fits. Do you know what day it

is?

EVEY:

Uh... November fourth.

V:

Not for long.

He looks out where, rising above the rooftops, he can see Big

Ben.

V:

"Remember, remember, the fifth of

November, the gunpowder treason and

plot. I know of no reason why the

gunpowder treason should ever be

forgot."

The second hand sweeps into the final minute.

V:

Tell me, Evey, what good is an

actor that plays his part to an

empty theatre?

EVEY:

I don't know.

V:

Nor do I. That's why you are here.

I need you, Evey. I need someone

to listen.

EVEY:

To your music?

V:

Yes. Yes, to my music.

From his sleeve, he pulls a conductor's wand.

V:

Can you hear it? It's already

begun.

He begins to lightly tap the wand in the air and, very

faintly, we hear it.

EVEY:

I can't hear anything.

V:

At first, you have to listen very

carefully...

He continues to conduct and we begin to hear the music,

violins and horns that seem almost like a whisper or a wind

that steadily swells.

V:

Ahh, yes. There it is. Beautiful,

is it not?

He turns to the parapet, his gestures growing grander as the

music rises and we recognize Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

The music mounts a climax and V points the wand at Big Ben as

cymbals crash --

Big Ben explodes with such force the world seems to shake,

while --

V, smiling, always smiling, points again with another

crescendo and --

The statue of justice is blown to smithereens.

V nods in appreciation while mustering the music towards it's

finale as fireworks begin lighting up the sky.

EVEY:

Oh my...

Everywhere across the city, people stand transfixed by the

dazzling shimmer of the fireworks until --

A strobing final blitz leaves a single, starry image floating

in the smoke filled sky.

It is the letter V.

EVEY:

It's beautiful...

V:

Thank you.

From every direction, the city screams with the panicked

sound of sirens.

EXT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

A massive modern building that is the seat of the new

government.

A long, black car pulls up to the entrance. Adam Susan gets

out, wearing a long black trenchcoat over his pajamas. He is

the Leader and he looks older, heavier, and meaner.

He hurries past the heavily armed guards, barely

acknowledging the snap and cock of their Nazi-like salute.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader enters his main chambers and we see the Fate

computer system.

It is a cerebral cortex for a vast intelligence network.

Information can almost be felt coursing through its hard

drives.

The Leader sits, at once regaining a measure of composure.

He takes a deep calming breath and accesses the system.

Dozens of monitors fill with images from all across the city,

most of them are of the damage caused by V.

LEADER:

Gentlemen, I will hear your reports

now. Mr. Heyer, speak for the Eye.

Conrad Heyer appears on one of the screens. He is at his

desk inside the command center for the Eye, the governmental

organization responsible for the visual surveillance systems.

CONRAD:

We have less than two minutes of

usable footage, Leader. It took

the suspect less than a minute to

dispatch the Finger's vice patrol.

On an insert screen, we see grainy footage of V rescuing Evey

from one of the pole-mounted cameras.

CONRAD:

As you can see, the suspect's

reflex speed is extraordinary. As

is his strength.

As the last body falls, V seems to pause and looks back over

his shoulder straight into the camera.

LEADER:

Freeze it!

The Leader stares at the smiling face.

CONRAD:

I'm afraid the mask makes retinal

identification impossible.

LEADER:

Mr. Etheridge, report for the Ear!

Bunny Etheridge appears on another screen. Behind him, huge

spooling reels of audiotape wind constantly.

ETHERIDGE:

We were able to triangulate the

origin of the fireworks. We also

are currently monitoring a lot of

phone surveillance indicating a

high percentage of conversation

concerned with the explosions. All

suspect or significant transcripts

are being forwarded to Mr. Almond.

LEADER:

Very good. Mr. Finch, speak for

the Nose.

Finch, no longer the same young man, stands at the site of

the fireworks launch.

FINCH:

Thanks to Etheridge, we found the

launch for the fireworks. These

appear to be individually weighted

flares and we have found traces of

the same chemicals at both of the

detonation sites which leads us to

conclude that, despite a level of

sophistication, these devices are

all home-made with over the counter

chemicals, making them impossible

to trace. Whoever he is, Leader,

he's good.

LEADER:

Thank you for that professional

annotation.

An intercom opens.

LIEUTENANT (V.O.)

Leader, Mr. Almond has arrived.

LEADER:

Very good. Gentlemen, keep me

informed of any further

developments. England prevails.

They answer in unison as Almond enters the office. His face

is harder but he has the same violent gleam in his eye.

The Leader turns in his chair.

LEADER:

Mr. Almond, do you know what this

is behind me?

ALMOND:

Uh... the Fate computer system,

sir?

LEADER:

No. No sir. It's more than that.

This, this computer is a symbol,

Mr. Almond. A symbol of the

highest attainable goal of mankind.

Do you know what that goal is, Mr.

Almond?

Almond does not. The Leader leaps from his chair while

pounding the desk.

LEADER:

Control, Mr. Almond! Control! The

world around us is a changing,

directionless, amoral morass and it

is up to man and man alone to set

things right!

He moves around the desk at Almond.

LEADER:

Without control, man is nothing

more than any other stinking,

sweating, brute animal. Control,

Mr. Almond. The control that we

have painstakingly built up over

the last ten years. Now, do you

understand what happened last

night?

ALMOND:

We... lost control.

LEADER:

Yes, Mr. Almond. Last night

someone did the unthinkable.

Someone hurt us. It is imperative

that we act swiftly and precisely.

I want that man found, Mr. Almond.

I want his head or, by god, I'll

have yours.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Evey is wearing a blindfold and V leads her by her

fingertips, guiding her almost as if they were dancing...

His fingers slip free of her and she reaches out.

EVEY:

Wait. I've lost you.

V:

No, you haven't.

He is behind her and he removes the blindfold, revealing his

house to her.

EVEY:

Oh...

It is a labyrinth of interconnecting underground tunnels and

rooms.

The gallery is the main room as it is filled with an amazing

collection of human culture. There is art that spans from

the renaissance to the painted covers of Eerie comics,

literature that ranges from Shakespeare to Spillane,

philosophy from Plato to Bukowski, and a vast collection of

nonfiction.

There are movie posters everywhere and an entire wall is

lined with videocassettes.

A jukebox stands in front of an enormous vinyl and CD

collection of music.

EVEY:

A jukebox? Where did you get it?

V:

I saved it. Like everything here.

She punches a button and Billie Holiday begins to sing.

EVEY:

Oh, it's beautiful. I've never

heard anything like it.

V:

Of course not. You grew up in

their world. Art is created by

individuals and there are no

individuals in a world where you

are told what to think.

EVEY:

This place is amazing.

V:

You're welcome to stay.

She stops suddenly and looks at him. The offer is terribly

exciting but it is so unlike anything she has ever done that

it's almost impossible to imagine.

EVEY:

Stay here... with you?

V:

Yes. If you like.

EVEY:

I... I don't even know your name.

V:

I don't have a name. But you can

call me V.

EVEY:

V? V... I like that.

And she returns his smile.

EXT. JORDAN TOWER

The only operating broadcast tower in London; home of the

Mouth.

INT. RADIO BROADCAST BOOTH

Lewis Prothero leans forward and lets his voice pour like

syrup over the microphone.

PROTHERO:

Good morning, London. This is the

voice of Fate -- Damn.

He stops and coughs.

PROTHERO:

Good morning -- ack. Good morning

Lond-- Goddammit! Where is my

bloody tea?!

In the control booth, Roger Dascombe, his hair thinner now,

rubs his temple.

DASCOMBE:

Would someone get his lordship his

bloody tea?

He clicks on the microphone.

DASCOMBE:

Lewis, they want this report on the

first hour --

PROTHERO:

I know. I know. Damned

inconvenient this entire affair.

Fine. Let's try again.

He clears his voice and the red "record" light turns on.

PROTHERO:

Good morning, London. It is 6 am,

the fifth of November 2019 and this

is the voice of Fate. The new day

brings good news and bright

prospects from overseas, where

negotiations with New China are

moving in a positive direction.

Last night's scheduled demolition

of two deteriorating landmarks went

off without a hitch.

Dascombe is unable to stop himself from smiling.

PROTHERO:

Spokesman for the Interior ministry

said both structures were severely

damaged and judged to be a danger

to the unsuspecting public. Plans

for new landmarks are well

underway.

Prothero sits back, shaking his head.

PROTHERO:

Do you believe this crap, Dascombe?

DASCOMBE:

It's not our job to believe it,

Lewis. Our job is to tell the

people --

PROTHERO:

"Exactly what they tell us." I

Know but do you think that people

will believe it?

DASCOMBE:

They will if it's you that's

telling it to them. Now let's try

it again.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V is alone, listening to the first morning broadcast.

PROTHERO (V.O.)

... plans for new landmarks are

already well underway.

He clicks off the radio. Walking down a hall, he stops and

peers into Evey's new bedroom.

She is fast asleep, looking remarkably at peace. Quietly, he

shuts the door.

EXT. TRAIN STATION

People are hurrying to board a departing train.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Prothero is staring out his window.

PROTHERO:

"Remember, remember, the fifth of

November..."

He talks to his bodyguards almost as if talking to himself.

PROTHERO:

Do you suppose that's why he did

it?

BODYGUARD 1

Sir, who did what, sir?

PROTHERO:

Guy Fawkes. He tried to blow up

Parliament.

The guards look at each other, confused.

PROTHERO:

Don't they teach history in school

anymore?

BODYGUARD 1

Sir, we're both straight military,

sir.

BODYGUARD 2

Sir, yes, sir. I was fighting in

Ireland by the time I was sixteen.

PROTHERO:

Yes, of course. My mistake.

He turns back to his window.

EXT. RAILROAD

The train rumbles along, heading for a tunnel.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Prothero watches the countryside rolling past.

PROTHERO:

I love trains. I remember riding

the underground with my father.

Shame they shut them all down.

Bodyguard 1 looks out the opposite window just as the train

enters the tunnel.

BODYGUARD 1

What the hell's that!

EXT. TRAIN

For a flashing instant, we see V in silhouette, cloak

swirling around him like dark wings as he jumps from the

bridge onto the train.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Prothero and Bodyguard 2 stare at Bodyguard 1.

BODYGUARD 1

I thought I saw a man jumping onto

the train.

BODYGUARD 2

The train's doing almost seventy.

It would break his legs.

BODYGUARD 1

You're right, I... It must have

been rags.

EXT. TRAIN

Deep in the tunnel, a dark figure glides across the rooftops.

INT. CONDUCTOR'S CAB

The conductor hears something on the roof. He peers up just

as V swings down, smashing feet first into the cab.

INT. TRAIN CAR

The brakes suddenly lock, throwing Bodyguard 2 into Prothero.

PROTHERO:

Get off of me!

A moment later, the lights are cut off and the entire train

is plunged into complete darkness.

BODYGUARD 2

What the f*** is going on?

BODYGUARD 1

Lock the car doors.

PROTHERO:

I have a lighter... somewhere...

BODYGUARD 2

I can't find the lock -- wait. Hey

wha--

There is a muffled shriek followed by a sharp snap.

BODYGUARD 1

What's happening --

There is another sound, like the leather slap of a boxer

pounding a heavy bag, followed by the sound of the heavy bag

collapsing onto the floor.

PROTHERO:

I found it!

He flicks on the lighter and, in the dim light of its flame,

he sees the smiling face.

PROTHERO:

Oh god.

V sits casually, arms folded, across from Prothero. The

bodyguards lay dead on the floor.

PROTHERO:

Who are you? What do you want?

Money? Is that it?

V just smiles.

PROTHERO:

Wait, wait. You're, you're the one

that blew the Bailey.

V nods and Prothero's eyes go wide.

PROTHERO:

You're making a mistake. I'm

nobody --

On the floor, he sees the bodyguard's gun. He kills the

lighter and dives for it.

In the darkness, we hear the struggle. It ends quickly.

When the lighter flicks back on, V is holding it and the gun.

PROTHERO:

Oh god, what do you want?

V:

I've come to offer you a choice.

Commander Prothero.

PROTHERO:

What -- What did you call me?

V:

Commander Prothero.

Prothero's heart begins to pound.

V:

That was your title at Larkhill.

You remember Larkhill, don't you,

Commander?

EXT. LARKHILL RESETTLEMENT CAMP - FLASHBACK

A sign reads, "Larkhill Resettlement Camp."

V (V.O.)

Where they sent the undesirables.

A caged truck packed with minorities rolls into the gates

which are topped with spools of razor wire.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Prothero is sweating.

PROTHERO:

I don't know what you're talking

about.

V:

Maybe I can help your memory.

Let's see. Larkhill opened in the

summer of 2009. You were appointed

it commander. You wore a uniform

in those days. You looked very

good in it.

INT. LARKHILL - PROTHERO'S OFFICE - FLASHBACK

Prothero admires his uniform in the mirror.

V (V.O.)

You were a man of many

responsibilities. You made sure

Larkhill made all its quotas,

especially the oven quotas even

though they required an excessive

amount of maintenance.

EXT. LARKHILL OVENS - FLASHBACK

We see a detail of black and Indian men, shoveling mounds of

black ash from a series of furnace like ovens.

As the shovels lift, we see blackened bones and burnt skulls.

EXT. LARKHILL MAIN YARD - FLASHBACK

Prothero saunters through the lines of camp prisoners.

V (V.O.)

But there was one task you took to

with exceptional relish. Remember

the medical block, Commander? I

believe you called it the funny

farm. You were the one that

selected the prisoners. You hand

picked each one.

Prothero steps in front of a woman who remains beautiful

despite the suffering she has endured. Prothero smiles.

PROTHERO:

Her.

As the guards grab her, we become aware of a man that is

staring at Prothero. He is one of the prisoners but we do

not see his face.

Prothero notices the man. He doesn't like the way the man is

staring at him.

PROTHERO:

You.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Prothero is terrified.

PROTHERO:

You! You're him, aren't you?

V nods.

PROTHERO:

Oh my god! What are you going to

do?

V:

You gave us a choice, remember,

Commander? You said we could

cooperate with the doctors or...

V c*cks the gun.

V:

Hold out your hand.

Trembling, Prothero sticks out his hand. V lets the light

die for a moment.

When he flicks it back on, Prothero is holding a long, metal

syringe filled with a murky liquid.

PROTHERO:

Oh no, no! Please I was just doing

what I was told!

V:

Of course you were. Now I'm

telling you to make a choice.

Either you stick that syringe into

your neck or --

He presses the gun barrel to Prothero's forehead.

V:

I can kill you right now.

Prothero begins to blubber.

V:

Crying doesn't help, Commander. I

remember there was a woman who had

been screaming for two days. You

winked at the doctor and laughed,

"All in the name of science."

PROTHERO:

Please, don't make me do this...

V:

It's a difficult choice, isn't it?

Certain death versus something that

might be... worse. But you never

know. There is still a chance.

You could survive. Look at me.

Now, time's up, Commander. Choose.

Anger galvanizes his fear and steadily Prothero lifts the

needle towards his neck.

PROTHERO:

I'll see you in hell.

He jams the needle in and sinks the plunger.

V:

Yes. I'm quite sure you will.

INT. TRAIN

Train workers with flashlights hurry through the cars.

TRAIN MAN:

This door's locked!

He slams a shoulder against it and the door gives in.

TRAIN MAN:

Holy Christ!

Flashlights sweep over the dead bodyguards. The train man

hears a strange gurgling rasp and he turns, finding Prothero

in his light.

TRAIN MAN:

What happened here?

Prothero is foaming at the mouth while a thick mucus bubbles

from his nose. His breath comes in tiny rasps.

TRAIN MAN:

Good lord! I need a medic here.

Prothero becomes more animate, trying to tell the man

something.

PROTHERO:

Fi... Fi... Fi...

TRAIN MAN 2

He's trying to say something.

PROTHERO:

Five.

TRAIN MAN 1

Five? Where's the goddamn medic?

PROTHERO:

Room five.

Suddenly, his body convulses and blood pours out his ears.

His body slumps over.

TRAIN MAN 2

I think he needs a priest.

EXT. TRAIN STATION

The station is swarming with police. A stretcher wheels a

body in a black plastic bag out from Prothero's car.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Finch puffs on his pipe, staring at something spray painted

on the wall of the train car: a "V" with a circle around it.

DOMINIC:

What do you make of this, Mr.

Finch?

Dominic, Finch's younger assistant, is holding a flower in

his rubber gloved hand.

FINCH:

Hmm. It's a rose. A violet

carson, I believe. Strange.

DOMINIC:

Strange?

FINCH:

I didn't think they still existed.

SOLDIER:

Mr. Finch! Sir!

Finch turns as a soldier with a radio steps into the car.

SOLDIER:

Sir, they want you at headquarters,

sir.

FINCH:

Now?

SOLDIER:

Yes, sir. I'm to transport you

immediately.

FINCH:

Send the rose to the lab. Also,

scrape a sample of this paint and

have it analyzed as well. I'll be

back as soon as I can.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The door opens and Finch steps in.

LEADER:

Ah, Mr. Finch. I sent for you

because what I have to say cannot

be said over a phone or a radio.

What I have to say cannot leave

these four walls. Do I make myself

clear?

FINCH:

Yes, sir.

LEADER:

I believe in a few things, Mr.

Finch. I believe in god. I

believe in the destiny of the

Nordic race. And I believe in

fascism. The romans invented

fascism. They had a symbol for it;

a bundle of twigs bound together.

One twig could be broken but a

bundle would prevail. That is the

heart and soul of fascism.

Strength in unity. I tell you

these things knowing full well that

they make you uncomfortable.

FINCH:

Well, I...

LEADER:

You have in fact expressed your

discomfort in several arrest

reports, arrests that were, in your

opinion, "unnecessary." The fact

that you are here, that you are not

rotting in a prison cell, is a mark

of my respect and admiration for

you, for your craft, and for what

you have done for this country.

Finch looks at the ground.

LEADER:

It is also because I know you,

Finch. I know what you are.

You're a man like me. A man who

understands when they are given a

job what must be done. I

understand you, Finch, and that is

why I can trust you.

He moves in close to Finch.

LEADER:

This terrorist knows us, Finch.

These attacks are perfectly

calculated and they are divisive.

He knows what he's doing, Finch.

He knows us all too well.

FINCH:

You think he's an insider?

LEADER:

What I think is that this man must

be stopped. Stopped at all costs

and no one, I repeat, no one is to

be placed above suspicion. Do I

make myself clear?

FINCH:

Perfectly.

LEADER:

England prevails, Mr. Finch.

FINCH:

England prevails.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Evey, alone in the Shadow Gallery, stares up at the

inscription above the crooked staircase.

EVEY:

V, v, v, v, v.

V:

I hear your summons, my lady. And

obey.

She jumps, V suddenly appearing behind her.

EVEY:

Oh, V, you scared me.

She turns back to the carving.

EVEY:

I was reading the inscription.

What is it?

V:

A Latin quotation. A motto. "Vi

veri veniversum vivus vici." "By

the power of truth, I, while

living, have conquered the

universe."

She nods.

EVEY:

Yes, I suppose you have. This

place is the only universe I have

right now.

V:

Does that bother you?

EVEY:

I don't know. I'm so grateful to

you -- I just feel I should help

you, you know, the way you're

helping me. I mean, that's the

deal, isn't it?

V drifts over to the big old Wurlitzer, fingers scanning the

song list.

V:

No deals, Evey. Not unless you

want them.

She looks up at the inscription as an old blues song begins

to play.

EVEY:

I think I do. Part of me wants to

stay here forever and never have to

face what's going on outside. But

that's not right. Is it? That's

not taking responsibility. Not

conquering my universe.

She turns to him.

EVEY:

I want to help you, V. I want to

do something. Can we make a deal?

V:

Yes. I think we can make a deal if

you like. I think I know a way you

could help me very soon indeed.

Evey smiles nervously.

EVEY:

Good. That's that, then.

The blues song curls in the air around them like a heavy

incense.

EVEY:

V, you said that Latin thing was a

quote. Who said it?

V:

Nobody you'd have heard of. A

German gentleman named Dr. John

Faust.

He spins her.

V:

He made a deal too.

EXT. WESTMINSTER ABBEY - DAY

The church doors have opened with the flow of parishioners as

the final mass of the day has ended.

The tide slowly pours out onto the sidewalk, separating

around the clumps of people that conglomerate to network and

gossip.

Church bells toll in the orange dusk above them.

Helen Heyer, a woman whose spite and guile are hidden behind

her looks and clothes she drapes them with, charges into the

gossipers, her trophy husband in tow, a timid looking man

that we recognize as Conrad Heyer.

CONRAD:

Hello, Rosemary. Derek, how --

Helen's head snaps over at the mention of the name.

HELEN:

Derek!

She pushes past Conrad, giving Derek Almond an exuberant kiss

on both cheeks.

HELEN:

Darling, how are you? Hello,

Rosemary.

Always behind her husband, Rosemary Almond smiles nervously

as she straightens her drab church dress.

ROSEMARY:

Hello.

DEREK:

It's so good to see you. Since

this bloody terrorist business, the

old man has me literally chained to

the office.

Helen pouts at him.

HELEN:

Oh, you poor dear.

Derek taps the bottom of his cigarette box, drawing one with

his lips.

DEREK:

It comes with the job. How are

things in the Eye, Conrad?

CONRAD:

Well, we've been working some bugs

out of the new Mark IX fiber optic

network, actually --

HELEN:

Oh, Conrad, don't be such a bloody

bore. Do tell us about the

terrorist, Derek. Is it true he

blew up Big Ben and the old Bailey?

DEREK:

I'm afraid so. We're dealing with

a pathological psychotic in the

most extreme case. We'll catch him

though. I promise.

Helen rubs her white sable against her body.

HELEN:

Oh, it sounds dreadfully exciting.

Aren't you glad you've got such a

ruthless, implacable brute for a

husband, Rosemary?

ROSEMARY:

Yes, well --

HELEN:

Believe me, you're lucky. You

could be struck with a professional

peeping tom like Conrad. England's

highest paid voyeur, aren't you

darling?

CONRAD:

Helen, I think we'd better --

HELEN:

Oh yes, of course. We have to get

back so the little pervert can

watch what the neighbors do after

Sunday lunch. He's so exciting.

Derek laughs as they climb into their car.

HELEN:

Ciao!

DEREK:

Goodbye, Helen. Conrad.

Rosemary waves as it pulls off.

ROSEMARY:

She's a bit hard on him, isn't she?

Derek sneers at her.

DEREK:

Until you're half the woman of

Helen's sophistication, I'd keep

your little mouth shut.

He throws the cigarette at her feet.

DEREK:

Really, just look at the way you

dress.

INT. WESTMINSTER ABBEY

From above, a hand sweeps aside the red plush curtain.

LILLIMAN:

Ah, there they go. My happy and

contented flock. Spiritually

refreshed and ready to face the

world again.

Bishop Anthony Lilliman is a slender man of pious elegance

with a warm, beautiful smile.

He turns from the window to his valet, Dennis, as Derek and

Rosemary get in their car.

LILLIMAN:

Did you enjoy the sermon today,

Dennis?

DENNIS:

Very inspiring, your grace. Though

the segue of the forces of Satan

among us did strike me as a bit of

a curious digression.

He whisks a lint brush over the Bishop's robes before putting

them away.

LILLIMAN:

Hmm, yes. A trifle purple, I

thought. Still, Fate wanted it

included and who are we to question

the will of the almighty, miserable

sinners that we are?

A gentle smile spreads across his mouth.

LILLIMAN:

And speaking of sin, I wonder which

of the seven deadlies the good lord

will see fit to tempt me with

today.

Dennis finishes with the Bishop's robes and sweeps the closet

door shut.

DENNIS:

Perhaps pride, your grace.

Lilliman chuckles.

LILLIMAN:

I was thinking of something a

little less ethereal. Has the

young lady arrived?

DENNIS:

The agency informed me she'll be

here directly. However, there was

a mixup. It's not one of the usual

girls. She's a little older.

LILLIMAN:

Oh dear. Oh dear. Not too old, I

trust?

DENNIS:

They promise me she's no more than

fifteen.

LILLIMAN:

Fifteen, hmm.

The Bishop rubs his cheek, ponderously.

LILLIMAN:

Ah well, if Job could bear his

disappointments, I suppose I must

have the good grace to bear mine.

Show her in when she arrives.

DENNIS:

Yes, your grace.

EXT. WESTMINSTER ABBEY - NIGHT

A pair of headlights melt through the heavy night's fog as a

taxicab pulls into the circle drive.

INT. BISHOP'S QUARTERS

Dennis peers into the Bishop's living quarters.

DENNIS:

The young lady, your grace.

LILLIMAN:

Oh my!

Standing next to Dennis is Evey, wearing a frilly pink summer

dress, pigtails and bows and white ruffled socks.

LILLIMAN:

And to think I doubted your

loveliness for even an instant.

Mea culpa, my child, mea culpa.

You are a vision. An angel.

Evey smiles awkwardly.

EVEY:

Uh... thank you.

EXT. WESTMINSTER ABBEY - NIGHT

A shadow begins moving across the manicured grounds borne on

the thick mist like a dark phantom. V glides toward the

rectory, cloak undulating against the dark, wet wind.

INT. BISHOP'S BEDROOM

It is extravagantly furnished, somewhere between posh and

pimp. The Bishop is sitting very close to Evey on his plush

water bed.

LILLIMAN:

Of course, "hate the sin, love the

sinner." I always say. Take your

dress off, please.

Evey stammers, backing up along the bedside.

EVEY:

Listen -- I was kind of hoping --

He paws at her, groping hands pushing the front of her dress

down as she backs up against the nightstand.

EVEY:

No --

EXT. MAIN GATE - NIGHT

The guards look out into the night, fear suddenly gripping

their faces.

V emerges demonically through the parting veils of fog, the

white smiling mask bobbing eerily up and down as he rushes

them.

A cigarette drops from the first guard's mouth, red embers

exploding when it hits the wet cement.

Close as the two guards claw for their arms and the white hot

flash of V's knives --

That slice like talons.

The two men crumple to the ground, clutching their gaping,

gurgling wounds. A whisper. V sprints into the courtyard.

INT. BISHOP'S BEDROOM

Evey grabs a metal table lamp and swings it down on the

Bishop's head. There is a shuddering clank and he collapses

to the floor.

LILLIMAN:

You -- You filthy whore!

His blood speckles the white bearskin throw rug as the Bishop

slowly rises after the retreating Evey.

LILLIMAN:

I'll kill you, you f***ing sow.

He charges after her but freezes dead in his tracks as V

swings around the corner in front of him.

LILLIMAN:

What's this? Who --

V:

Please allow me to introduce

myself...

V bows.

V:

I'm a man of wealth and taste.

LILLIMAN:

Dennis?

Instantly, the point of one of V's knives is against the

Bishop's throat. V presses a finger to his frozen smile.

V:

Shh. It isn't polite to disturb

the dead on their journey.

Evey watches from around the corner.

V:

A courtesy I'll most respectfully

extend to his grace.

EVEY:

V?

Lilliman swallows audibly.

EVEY:

V, what are you doing?

V:

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici,

Evey.

Evey looks down at the knives on his belt, dripping blood.

EVEY:

Oh no.

She begins backing to the door.

EVEY:

You can't kill him!

V:

Death has followed his grace the

whole of his career. Is it any

coincidence it has finally followed

him here?

EVEY:

Oh god, V. I can't -- I can't --

V turns back to Lilliman as Evey runs.

V:

Let us pray.

EXT. WESTMINSTER ABBEY - NIGHT

Evey sprints past the dead guards at the man gate and into

the fog.

INT. THE EAR

A cramped control room that looks like something between a

radio and television switching room, though it does not

broadcast. It receives.

Two operators sit at the main substation as the sounds of

lovemaking come over the speakers. The moans are stifled and

low, however, as if they were afraid someone was listening.

OPERATOR 1

Bloody hell. Doesn't anybody f***

with feeling anymore?

Operator 2 does not look at him, scrolling through an

intricate city map on his computer.

OPERATOR 2

Hey, it's Sunday. Children's hour

over at the Abbey.

OPERATOR 1

Let's see what that filthy old

pervert is up to.

Operator 1 punches in some coordinates and the sound over the

speakers changes to a garbled fart of noise. Two voices

drown beneath a cacophony of classical music.

OPERATOR 1

What the --

He tries to dial out the background and suddenly the voices

rise clearly above the din.

VOICE 1

... And I saw a black shape against

the flames. Oh god. It's you.

The man from room five. You've

come --

VOICE 2

To collect what's mine.

VOICE 1

I beg you! I don't want to die!

Please have mercy!

The two men look at each other, Operator 1 lunging for a red

phone.

OPERATOR 1

Get me the Finger. This is an

emergency!

EXT. BISHOP'S QUARTERS - NIGHT

Close on a stain of white vomit and blood on the thick pile

of a Persian rug. It is encircled in police chalk.

Pull back to reveal the chalk outline where the body of

Bishop Lilliman was found. The circled bloodstain floats

above the head like the last word balloon of a crude comic

strip character.

The Bishop's quarters is slowly being picked over by a

forensic team from the Nose. A photographer's flash bursts

against a painted "V" on the wall near the body outline.

At the window, Finch chews on his pipe, staring at a plastic

evidence bag that contains a single violet carson rose.

DOMINIC:

No prints yet, sir. Just like

Prothero.

FINCH:

I want those tapes from the Ear in

my office tonight, Dominic.

DOMINIC:

Yes, sir. They're on top of it.

Finch turns to a muscular man named Creedy, second in command

at the Finger.

FINCH:

Any word from your superior, Mr.

Creedy?

CREEDY:

Mr. Almond doesn't seem to be

answering his page, sir. I'm sure

he's in the field.

FINCH:

Quite.

INT. CONRAD HEYER'S BEDROOM

Grunting like an animal, Derek's face is frozen, locked in

the rigor of a violent orgasm. After a moment, he collapses

beside Helen onto the sweat soaked sheets.

HELEN:

There you go, baby. Now my baby

boy can think so much clearer.

Can't he?

She grabs her cigarette case and her lighter.

HELEN:

You have been thinking, haven't

you?

She straddles his chest then lights two cigarettes.

HELEN:

I know you have. Ever since this

terrorist appeared.

He smiles as she puts one of the cigarettes in his mouth.

HELEN:

Oh jesus, that smile. That smile

turns me on like nothing else.

She whispers in his ear.

HELEN:

Tell me. Tell me what's going on

in that ruthless sadistic brain of

yours.

DEREK:

Everyone is so worried about the

terrorist. Especially Susan. You

know why? Because nobody knows

what he's going to do.

He exhales through his grinding teeth.

DEREK:

If I were him, I know what I'd do.

He whispers.

DEREK:

I'd blow that fat bastard to

kingdom come.

Helen bolts up.

HELEN:

No. You're kidding.

DEREK:

Am I?

He smiles, blowing more smoke.

DEREK:

There's an old train line under the

New Government Building. It

collapsed when they poured the

foundation. You could haul in

enough TNT to launch our Leader's

ass all the way to the moon.

Helen's eyes gleam as he laughs.

HELEN:

You're serious, aren't you?

He eyes her sucking on the cigarette.

DEREK:

You need to be careful, Helen.

Your mouth is going to get you into

trouble one day.

HELEN:

Is that the same trouble you love

putting in my mouth?

DEREK:

You never know who might be

listening.

HELEN:

I know, Derek. You love your

country and you love your party,

just like you love your wife.

He glares at her.

HELEN:

Derek. I'm sorry. I know I can be

a b*tch. But that's why you're

here, isn't it?

He smiles again and she presses her body to his.

HELEN:

This is it, isn't it, Derek? What

we've been waiting for. At last,

you'll be rid of Susan. I'll be

rid of Conrad. And we'll be free.

Free, won't we?

His eyes close as he grinds his hips into hers and we rise,

drifting up to the ceiling light fixture --

Where we see a tiny hidden microphone.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE - THE NOSE

Finch sits at his desk, staring into the silence of his

notepad. He has doodled a little "V" with a circle around

it.

He looks up as Dominic enters, holding up a portable cassette

player.

DOMINIC:

Sorry it took so long. The boys

had a devil of a time trying to

filter out the background noise.

FINCH:

Background noise?

DOMINIC:

The perpetrator apparently turned

on the Bishop's stereo.

Subsequently, a great deal of the

tape is useless.

He hands the player to Finch.

FINCH:

What music did he play?

DOMINIC:

Beethoven. The fifth, I believe.

Finch smiles.

FINCH:

Da, da, da, dum. That's code.

Morse code.

DOMINIC:

Sir?

FINCH:

For the letter "V".

Finch punches "play".

Over the small speaker, we sear Evey protesting to V, then

run. He stops it.

FINCH:

Anything on the girl yet?

DOMINIC:

No. The agency said somebody

claiming to be Lilliman's valet

canceled his Sunday appointment.

Finch starts it again and this time the tape is very fuzzy.

FINCH:

What is it?

DOMINIC:

23rd Psalm.

We recognize some of the words though muted and crackly.

TAPE (V.O.)

Though I walk through the valley of

the shadow of death...

DOMINIC:

It goes on like that for a while.

Fairly incoherent except we could

make out a few words in this part.

Transubstantiation.

Finch nods, understanding.

DOMINIC:

That miracle business when the

wafer transform into the body of

Christ.

FINCH:

He made him eat a host.

DOMINIC:

Yes, listen to this part.

The tape becomes somewhat clearer as the music rests.

TAPE (V.O.)

... And at the moment this enters

your mouth it becomes the flesh of

the savior? Yes... please... And

whatever it is made of now it will

become the body of Christ? Yes...

yes...

They eye each other.

TAPE (V.O.)

I want you to swallow it.

DOMINIC:

There's a couple of funny human

noises...

FINCH:

And then just Beethoven's fifth.

He shuts off the tape.

FINCH:

We have got the initial path report

back. The host was full of

cyanide.

Finch picks up the bag with the violet carson.

FINCH:

And do you know what?

He rises, sliding into his jacket.

FINCH:

When it reached his abdomen, it was

still cyanide.

INT. MORGUE

Close on the heavy stitching of a "Y" incision sewn into the

chest of a corpse. It is one of the Bishop's guards.

DELIA:

Do you have a motive?

Finch is standing next to the cadaver gurney with the

coroner, Delia Surridge. She is a serious woman, hair wound

tight behind her head in a severe bun.

DELIA:

I mean, was anything taken?

She fills the dead man's head with cotton and replaces the

top of his skull.

FINCH:

Just lives.

Pulling at the man's scalp, she stretches it over the

replaced skull piece.

FINCH:

I know it's too early for your

profile but do you have any initial

impressions?

DELIA:

Well...

She points at a jagged puncture wound at the base of the

man's sternum with a ball point pen.

DELIA:

He's incredibly powerful. This

man's sternum was split like dry

wood from the base all the way up

to the manubrium.

Finch peers into the hole.

DELIA:

And he's resourceful. On that

table behind you is a breakdown of

all the chemicals found in

Prothero's blood stream.

Finch hefts the pile of computer paper.

FINCH:

Bloody hell.

DELIA:

There were hundreds of different

chemicals in him. From

trinitrotoluene to estrogen to

motor oil.

He flips through the document, biting into the wooden end of

his pipe.

FINCH:

Perhaps Fate will make something

more of all this. I certainly

can't.

DELIA:

The Leader finally authorized an

uplink for you? He must be getting

nervous.

FINCH:

Quite. Government directed

terrorism never sews healthy ideas

into the public. Oh, that reminds

me.

Finch pulls the evidence bag from his pocket.

FINCH:

Can you tell us anything about

this?

Delia's eyes lock onto the violet carson.

FINCH:

We found one in the carriage with

Prothero and this one in the

Bishop's quarters. A violet

carson.

He hands it to her.

FINCH:

I heard that strain had died off.

Thought a botanist might shed some

light on it. Delia?

Delia, riveted to the rose, suddenly looks up to him.

DELIA:

Yes -- Yes, of course.

FINCH:

Magic. I'll drop by tomorrow then.

He turns, leaving her with the rose.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V relaxes with a book in an overstuffed reading chair, a

violet carson rose resting on a table next to him. He begins

to read a passage aloud.

V:

"There is more behind and inside of

V than any of us had suspected.

Not who, but what: what is she?"

He places the book down. Thomas Pynchon's "V".

V rises, lifting the rose and moving into the darkness of the

Shadow Gallery.

EXT. EMPTY STREET

A small figure moves down the dark wet street, the

cobblestones glistening like black scales.

The huddled figure arcs across the street in the shadows,

avoiding the pools of streetlight. It is Evey, a frightened

look on her face.

INT. KITTY KAT KELLER

A woman in combat boots, fishnets, and a tight fitting

soldier's uniform is in the middle of a cheeky number on

stage in this smoky burlesque bar. It is a popular place

with locals and Fingermen.

Peter Creedy squeezes through the crowd, angling for the back

of the bar where a number of loud Fingermen are drinking.

CREEDY:

What's all this, then, Harper? I

get a radio that a man's down and

in need of assistance?

HARPER:

I ain't gone down yet but I sure do

need some assistance.

Creedy leans in.

CREEDY:

Are you flat broke already?

They break up in laughter, led by Creedy who sits next to

Harper, pouring himself a drink.

LOUT:

How'd you sneak away, Creedy?

Almond off buggering that blonde

chippy?

HARPER:

The one with the tits?

They all begin to hoot and whistle.

CREEDY:

What I wouldn't give for a piece of

that.

LOUT:

She could serve a tray of drinks on

those thingies.

HARPER:

I bet you get your chance with her

sooner than later, Creedy, with the

way Almond's crackin' up.

LOUT:

Bloody bugger's losing his marbles.

HARPER:

Terrorist or no, if that bastard

gives me another double shift, I'll

stomp his f***ing head.

Creedy raises his drink.

CREEDY:

Aye. This nonsense has put a

serious strain on my drinking. I

think I was actually sober today.

LOUT:

I'll drink to that.

HARPER:

We need to get a real man of the

people in that director's position.

Like Creedy here.

Everyone cheers in agreement.

CREEDY:

Well, it's good to know when the

sh*t hits the fan who your real

friends are.

They salute and drink.

INT. ALMOND HOME

Derek Almond sits hunched under a desk lamp, pumping the

cylinders of his revolver with a wire brush.

Rosemary shuffles up to him, her frumpy gown gathered around

her.

ROSEMARY:

Derek --

He blows down one of the cylinders, not looking up.

DEREK:

I don't want to hear it, Rosemary.

ROSEMARY:

Derek, please! We can't carry on

like this.

Derek stares at the gun, rage building.

ROSEMARY:

You don't talk to me. You don't

eat with me. You don't have sex --

Derek leaps up, slugging her.

Rosemary clatters to the ground in tears. Derek glowering

over her.

DEREK:

I don't have to take any crap from

you! I have that fat bastard

riding me all day. I don't want to

listen to you, so shut your fat

gob!

He leans into her face.

DEREK:

And me not wanting to f*** you is

obvious. Take a look at yourself.

He sits back in front of the gun, wiping it down.

DEREK:

Get out of my sight. I'm cleaning

my gun.

INT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

Dr. Surridge sits somberly in the dark, street light

filtering in from the open curtains.

Her eyes fixed on the violet carson as she slowly turns it

over in her hands, fingers tracing the soft petals.

After a moment, she stands, letting it fall from her lap.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE - THE NOSE

Finch turns as Dominic bursts in.

DOMINIC:

I got it!

FINCH:

A connection?

Dominic waves a printout.

DOMINIC:

Larkhill Resettlement Camp.

Prothero's and Lilliman's

employment records show they both

help positions there at similar

times.

FINCH:

What about codename V?

DOMINIC:

Most of Larkhill's records were

destroyed for security reasons but

I did uncover an old standard

procedures and operations manual.

Dominic smiles.

DOMINIC:

In special case studies, medical

research groups used roman numerals

to identify test inmates.

FINCH:

Five is the letter V. Brilliant,

Dominic.

Finch slides in front of his computer.

FINCH:

All we need is Larkhill's

employment records.

INT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

The covers pulled protectively up around her, Delia rests in

a light, uneasy sleep.

Suddenly, an eye pops open as she awakens, catching a

familiar scent. She slowly sits up and inhales.

DELIA:

Roses.

She closes her eyes.

DELIA:

It's you, isn't it? You've come to

kill me.

From the shadows, V answers.

V:

Yes.

Tears begin to streak her face.

DELIA:

Oh thank god. Thank god.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE - THE NOSE

Dominic hangs over Finch's shoulder as Larkhill's employment

record comes up.

Finch's mouth falls open.

FINCH:

Oh my god.

Row after row of names scroll by at the end of each bio are

the words:
deceased, file closed.

FINCH:

Oh bloody hell.

The data banks unfurl like a mass grave.

DOMINIC:

He's killed them all? It's not

possible.

Finch stops, staring at the one name whose file is not

closed --

FINCH:

Oh no.

Dr. Delia Surridge.

INT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

V floats on the edge of the room's shadows, a dark angel.

V:

Are you afraid?

DELIA:

No, no. I thought I would be, but

I'm not. I'm --

She looks at the hovering, smiling mask.

DELIA:

Relieved.

She starts to cry again.

DELIA:

Oh god, all these years. All this

waiting. And somehow I always knew

you'd come back.

Delia thinks back.

DELIA:

When I saw you that night -- the

night you escaped, you were

standing against the flames and you

looked straight at me.

The mask almost nods.

DELIA:

I knew then that one day you'd come

looking for me, that you'd find me.

Her voice drops to an almost confessional whisper.

DELIA:

What -- what happened at Larkhill.

What we did -- What I did. That

terrible knowledge, it's been with

me so long. That I could do things

like that.

Delia rubs the salty tears from her eyes.

DELIA:

For years, I blamed it on the

government, on the authority I

could never stand up to. But

living so long with the knowledge

of what I did has made me

understand otherwise. I alone was

accountable.

V watches her.

DELIA:

There is something wrong with us.

With all of mankind. With me.

Something evil that made me enjoy

what I did. Some hideous flaw.

Her voice almost trails off.

DELIA:

We deserve to be culled. We

deserve it.

INT. ALMOND BEDROOM

Light sweeps across Rosemary from the opening bedroom door as

she sobs softly in bed. Derek enters, holding a bottle of

whiskey and his clean gun.

She sits up as Derek looms over her.

ROSEMARY:

Derek? What?

He lifts the gun into her bruised face. Her eyebrows cringe

as he slowly pulls the trigger.

DEREK:

Bang.

Click. It is empty.

DEREK:

Don't worry, Rose. I didn't load

it.

The phone rings.

DEREK:

Not tonight.

He grins evilly at her and answers the bedside phone.

DEREK:

Almond. What?! Where?

Derek's drunk eyes light up.

DEREK:

Oh god, yes! God, thank you!

He slams the phone down, charging out of the room.

EXT. KITTY KAT KELLER

A gaggle of drunks exit the bar, laughing and singing as they

pass a small figure.

INT. KITTY KAT KELLER

Evey wanders into the bar amidst the lustful screams and cat

calls for the line of high stepping, semi-clothed girls on

stage.

She stares out into the crowd, not sure why she is here when

a man approaches her: Creedy. His sloppy smile indicates he

has had a few drinks.

CREEDY:

You look lost.

She looks blankly at him.

CREEDY:

Can I buy you a drink?

EVEY:

No... I made a mistake.

She turns for the door.

EVEY:

I have to find someone.

Creedy frowns as his radio crackles.

CREEDY:

Well I didn't like the looks of you

anyway --

RADIO (V.O.)

All units, all units. Code red.

Converge in Plaistow to apprehend

codename V.

CREEDY:

Bloody hell!

He screams to the Fingermen at the back.

CREEDY:

It's him! We got him!

Evey watches as they storm out of the bar, then follows.

EXT. CITY STREET

The emergency lights blaring, Finch's car squeals around a

corner.

INT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

V hovers ghostly at Delia's bedside.

DELIA:

It's funny, I was given one of your

roses today. I wasn't sure you

were the terrorist until I saw it.

She manages a smile.

DELIA:

What a strange coincidence. That I

should be given it today.

V:

There are no coincidences, Delia.

Only the illusion of coincidence.

He reaches into his cloak.

V:

I have another rose. This one is

for you.

He hands it to her.

DELIA:

Then you are going to kill me now?

V produces an empty syringe.

V:

I killed you ten minutes ago.

While you slept.

DELIA:

Is there any pain?

V sits on the bed.

V:

No. No pain.

DELIA:

Thank you.

She stares at the mask.

DELIA:

Can I -- Can I see your face again?

V slowly pulls off his hat and lifts his mask. Delia stares

into his face.

DELIA:

It's beautiful...

The rose falls from her hands.

INT. HALL

V quietly shuts the door as if not to wake her and turns just

as --

Derek Almond reaches the top of the stairs.

DEREK:

Don't move an inch, you bloody

bastard.

He trains his gun.

DEREK:

You didn't hear me arrive, did you?

Didn't know we'd rumbled you?

He squints.

DEREK:

It's all finished, chummy. All of

it. The old man told me it was my

head or yours and what do you know.

It's yours.

The smiling mask stares.

DEREK:

Because you're standing over there

with your bloody stupid knives and

your fancy karate gimmicks --

Derek pulls back the hammer.

DEREK:

And I've got a gun.

He smiles.

DEREK:

Bang.

Click. He never loaded it.

There is an awkward moment of silence, then V moves --

Cloak opening, filling the hall like a black tidal wave that

envelopes Derek. He chokes a scream as V embraces him,

slipping a knife above his floating rib.

Derek Almond sputters as he claws at V's mask.

DEREK:

Who -- Who are you?

V:

Yes, look. Look and tell me what

you see.

He rips V's mask off as V thrusts the knife in deeper.

Derek's eyes widen in horror as his life pours out the knife

wound.

DEREK:

Horrible! God, it's horrible!

V jerks his blade free, letting Derek slip to the ground.

EXT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

Finch's car bucks up onto the sidewalk.

Finch and Dominic tear out of the car and barrel into the

house.

INT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

At the top of the stairs, they find the dead Derek. Finch

rushes past him for the bedroom.

FINCH:

Delia?

Inside, he finds her. Her eyes fixed, cold, and dead, a

single violet carson in her lap.

FINCH:

Get an ambulance.

EXT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

Evey rushes around a corner to see a crime scene bathed in

siren light. She pushes up to the police barricade as the

M.E.'s load a draped body into their van.

EVEY:

Oh no... V?

She tries to angle around to get a better look when a man in

a brown overcoat grabs her from behind and drags her into the

alley.

INT. DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

From the corner of the room, Finch sits, watching as the

M.E.'s wheel out Delia's body.

Dominic squeezes past the gurney and crosses toward Finch.

DOMINIC:

I'm sorry, sir. You knew the

doctor pretty well?

Finch nods.

DOMINIC:

We found this on her bureau, sir.

It's Dr. Surridge's journal. It

covers her years at Larkhill. It

might contain the whole story.

Dominic searches for something more to say when Finch does

not answer.

After a moment, Finch looks at the book in Dominic's hand,

then takes it, leafing through the pages. They flip by, a

breathy sigh, rising to a cold wind.

DELIA (V.O.)

May 23rd...

INT. LARKHILL MEDICAL RESEARCH BLOCK - DAY - FLASHBACK

A younger Dr. Surridge, one by one, administers a series of

injections to her research stock.

DELIA (V.O.)

Prothero has hand picked my

subjects. Four dozen of them, none

of which will be any use to me if I

don't get to work soon.

She finishes an injection, Prothero encouraging the next

subject. We recognize her as the woman Prothero pointed at.

DELIA (V.O.)

They're so weak and pathetic I find

myself hating them.

Delia prepares the next dose, a sour look on her face.

DELIA (V.O.)

They don't fight or struggle. Just

stare at you with weak eyes.

PROTHERO:

Next.

INT. LARKHILL OVENS - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two inmate orderlies are hefting sacked cadavers from a cart

into an incinerator.

DELIA (V.O.)

June 9th:
Of the original four

dozen, over 75% are now deceased.

Strangely, no clear patterns have

emerged as of yet.

Another body thuds onto the pile.

DELIA (V.O.)

Batch 5 seems to have no common

discernible effect on any specific

group though the men seem slightly

more resilient than the women.

When it is full, they move to the next door until the cart is

empty.

DELIA (V.O.)

I'm hoping the survivors will

provide more answers or my time

here will have gone to waste.

Red heat suddenly glows from the oven vents as the orderly

throws a series of switches.

INT. LARKHILL MEDICAL RESEARCH BLOCK - DAY - FLASHBACK

Dr. Surridge moves down the drab aseptic hallway accompanied

by an armed guard. Roman numerals on the doors to each cell

ascend to five.

DELIA (V.O.)

June 18:
And only five left now.

Two men and three women. Which

tends to contradict my entry on the

9th.

She pauses at room five.

DELIA (V.O.)

The man in room five is a

fascinating case.

She looks through the small chicken wire glass window in the

door.

DELIA (V.O.)

Physically, there doesn't seem to

be anything wrong with him. No

cellular anomalies, nothing.

In the back, just on the edge of the room's shadow, sits the

man in room five, silently staring back.

DELIA (V.O.)

Batch five, however, seems to have

brought on some kind of psychotic

breakdown. He's quite insane.

Dr. Surridge can't seem to break her stare.

DELIA (V.O.)

He has this way of looking through

you. Reverend Lilliman won't go

near him. He claims that it is the

devil in room five. I see him

cross himself whenever he passes

his door. Still, there's something

about him...

EXT. LARKHILL GARDEN - DAY - FLASHBACK

Dr. Surridge slowly moves through the Larkhill garden, an

incredible abundance of fruits, vegetables and violet carson

roses.

DELIA (V.O.)

I'm glad Prothero let room five

have a go at the gardening project.

He is quite proficient. Prothero

was reluctant to allow an inmate

access to the tool and chemical

supply at first but now the fat

toad is delighted. The crop has

almost doubled.

She traces the petals of a rose with her finger.

DELIA (V.O.)

He also grows roses. Beautiful

roses.

INT. LARKHILL LOUNGE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Dr. Surridge and several other Larkhill appointees relax

after dinner.

DELIA (V.O.)

December 24th:
I was in the mess.

It was about half past ten when we

heard the first explosion.

A massive explosion shakes the building to its very core, its

windows shattering and hooded pendulum lights swinging.

EXT. LARKHILL LOUNGE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Men and women clutch at their throats as they tumble out into

the yard.

DELIA (V.O.)

The ones at the front ran straight

into the gas. It was horrible.

They drop to the ground, gasping and vomiting.

The back door is kicked open, Dr. Surridge following two

guards.

DELIA (V.O.)

A few of us made it out through the

rear door. You could hear men

screaming everywhere. I hate the

sound of men screaming.

She looks out, men running, collapsing, dying in a yellow

green haze that seems everywhere.

DELIA (V.O.)

In the center of the camp,

everything was on fire. Everyone

running in all directions. We had

hardly enough time to get our

bearings when the ovens exploded.

Another explosion wracks the compound. The pillar of flame

rises into the black sky, dwarfing the men in the camp.

Dr. Surridge sees a gaping hole in the medical block, its

insides turned out like an unholy birth.

DELIA (V.O.)

It was the man in room rive. I

couldn't have known. The chemical

supplies, grease solvents, ammonia,

fertilizer. He'd been making

things with them.

Close on a soldier, doubled over, hacking up bile.

DELIA (V.O.)

Mustard gas...

A sticky blue fire licks up from a blackened body like a dura

flame.

DELIA:

And napalm.

Dr. Surridge turns as a silhouette crosses the yard, backlit

by a curtain of fire.

DELIA (V.O.)

And in the yard, I saw him. He had

the flames behind him. He was

naked.

The man stops.

DELIA (V.O.)

He looked at me...

Dr. Surridge seems to wilt under his stare but cannot look

away.

DELIA (V.O.)

As if I were an insect. Oh god.

As if I were something mounted on a

slide.

The flames convulse hypnotically behind him.

DELIA (V.O.)

He looked at me.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

Finch snaps Dr. Surridge's journal shut.

He sits in front of the Leader's desk puffing on his pipe

while Susan stares coldly.

FINCH:

That's the last entry until six

months later when Dr. Surridge is

back in London. There is no

mention of the man in room five

again. End of story.

He tosses the journal on Susan's desk.

FINCH:

Except that it wasn't the end of

the story.

Finch rises, crossing to the wastebasket.

FINCH:

Between 2009 and 2012, over forty

men and women who were previously

stationed at Larkhill met with what

were believed to be accidental

deaths. Eventually, only three

remained.

He taps his pipe into his hand, pouring the contents into the

wastebasket.

FINCH:

The three he'd been saving until

last.

Finch brushes the ashes from his hands and begins repacking

his pipe.

FINCH:

Everyone who worked at Larkhill.

Everyone who could have identified

him. You see there are two

possible motives here. Not one.

Susan raises his head.

FINCH:

The first is revenge. He escapes

from Larkhill and vows to get even

with his tormentors. The whole

exercise an elaborate, chilling

vendetta.

When he finishes repacking the pipe, he replaces it in his

mouth.

FINCH:

That's the explanation that I find

most reassuring, funnily enough.

Because that means he's finished.

It's over now.

Finch begins relighting his pipe.

FINCH:

The second motive is more sinister.

Like I said, everyone who could

have identified him is dead.

A flame leaps into the air.

FINCH:

What if he's just been clearing the

ground?

Another burst.

FINCH:

What if he's planning something

else?

The lighter slips back into his pocket.

FINCH:

You see, the diary we found was in

full view. We didn't have to

search for it. He left it there.

He wanted us to find it. He wanted

us to know the story. Or...

Finch returns to his chair, letting out a huge cloud.

FINCH:

For all we know, the diary could be

a complete and utter fake.

Codename V could have written it

himself.

Finch leans forward.

FINCH:

He's playing games with us. He

might never have been at Larkhill

at all. Do you see? It could all

be another smoke screen, a false

trail, another cover story --

LEADER:

Enough!

Susan punches the desk.

LEADER:

Mr. Finch, would you please explain

to me the nature of this meeting?!

Because I was under the impression

that you had some information about

the terrorist, codename V!

And punches it again until his fist hurts.

LEADER:

No more questions, understand! I

want answers! I am not interested

in where he grew up, what kind of

flowers he likes or his favorite

color!

Susan's collar chokes his face to an unnatural crimson.

LEADER:

Do I make myself clear?

FINCH:

Yes, Leader.

After a moment, Finch stands, Susan hanging on his last word.

LEADER:

Dismissed. England prevails, Mr.

Finch.

Finch turns, Susan calling after him as he leaves.

LEADER:

Mr. Finch, the girl. Do you have

anything on the girl?

Finch pauses at the door.

FINCH:

No, Leader. Not yet.

INT. CELL

Evey stirs as voices drift in from the hall outside her door.

MAN:

Wake up, cow.

Three guards are silhouetted in the doorway of a cramped jail

cell. Still sluggish from the chloroform, Evey looks down at

the coarse slipover she's now wearing.

One of the men, Rossiter, crosses toward Evey, swinging a

pair of shackles. He grabs Evey, slamming her face down into

the hard cot, driving a knee between her shoulder blades.

Evey screams.

GUARD 1

Tsk. This pathetic whore is the

famous Miss Hammond?

The shackles bite down on her wrists as they laugh in the

hall.

EVEY:

You've made a mistake.

Rossiter stands her up, shoving her into the wall.

ROSSITER:

Shut up.

EVEY:

Please. I haven't done anything --

He slides a thick hood over her head.

ROSSITER:

I said shut your hole!

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

The hood is lifted from her head. Evey squints hard, awash

in a blinding, burning light.

A man sits, unmoving, at a desk across from her, a guard at

his side, both backlit by a harsh white kliegs.

Evey's eyes start to water as she blinks.

INTERROGATOR:

Do you know why you're here. Evey

Hammond?

EVEY:

No, please, I didn't do anything.

INTERROGATOR:

Allow me to be more precise. Did

you participate in the murder of

Dr. Delia Surridge?

EVEY:

No.

INTERROGATOR:

Did you participate in the murder

of Derek Almond, director of the

Finger?

EVEY:

No, I --

INTERROGATOR:

Did you participate in the murder

of Bishop Anthony Lilliman?

EVEY:

Oh god, I don't --

INTERROGATOR:

Have you ever participated in a

terrorist act against your country?

EVEY:

No --

INTERROGATOR:

What is the identity of codename V?

EVEY:

I don't know.

INTERROGATOR:

You are a lying c*nt.

A monitor next to the desk lights up. From the snowy static,

an image begins to form.

A girl is talking to a man. She is shoving her hips at him,

propositioning him. When more men appear from the alley,

Evey realizes she is watching herself.

EVEY:

They were going to rape me, kill

me --

Rossiter grabs a handful of her hair.

ROSSITER:

Shut up.

She swallows hard when she sees V emerge on the screen. The

image freezes on his smiling face.

INTERROGATOR:

This board will not tolerate any

more of your lies, Miss Hammond.

We have over 120 minutes of audio

and videotape and 75 pages of

testimonials from eye witness that

identify you as an accomplice to

the terrorist, codename V.

The monitor blinks off.

INTERROGATOR:

Do you want to know why you're

here? You are formally being

brought up on charges of murder on

fourteen counts and sedition

against your Leader and country

which brings an automatic sentence

of death.

EVEY:

Please. I didn't do anything.

INTERROGATOR:

Process the prisoner and return her

to her cell until she is more

cooperative.

Rossiter slips the hood back over Evey's head.

INT. PROCESSING ROOM

Evey cries as a rough hand runs a pair of electric clippers

over her head. Huge sheaves of her hair fall to the ground.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. CELL

Evey lies crumpled on the hard floor, unmoving, as a tray of

food is slid through a slot at the bottom of the door.

She watches as a rat crosses from a hole in the wall,

sniffing the murky rendered gelatin in the wooden bowl.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. PROCESSING ROOM

Evey hangs limply from a set of manacles as she is washed and

deloused by heavy hands.

She coughs in the yellow bug powder cloud as it burns her

eyes and the red welts on her back.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. CELL

Evey is curled up on the cot like a dry fetus, now gaunt arms

wrapped around her legs. She blinks when she hears something

moving in the rat hole.

Evey raises her head as something is pushed through the

crevice.

Tentative fingers search the hole, pulling out a length of

toilet paper. Over every inch of it is a delicately scrawled

message.

We move into the rathole, its edges slowly filling the frame

until black.

EXT. INTERROGATION ROOM

Pull back from a shadow, the outline of the interrogator's

silhouette against sharp light coming into frame.

EVEY (V.O.)

I read her letter. Hid it. Slept.

Woke. They questioned me. And I

read her letter again.

Rossiter is buckling Evey's thin arms and legs into a chair.

Her now frail frame can barely hold up the frayed brown

slipover.

EVEY (V.O.)

Over and over...

On the table in front of her, there is a large wash basin of

water. Rossiter dunks her head into it.

EVEY (V.O.)

Her name was Valerie.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK

A teacher reads from her lesson plan in front of rows and

rows of uniformed pubescences in this all girl private

school. Her voice drones on and on like Muzak.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I was born in a rainy burg in

Nottingham in 1975. I passed my

eleven plus and went to girl's

grammar.

A blonde tomboy sneaks a smile to her curly haired friend

next to her.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I met my first girlfriend at

school. Her name was Sara. Her

wrists. Her wrists were beautiful.

Her hand slides across the desk, fingers tickling the young

flesh of Sara's wrist.

The teacher's voice slows, dropping octaves, becoming --

INT. BIOLOGY LAB - DAY - FLASHBACK

A man's voice.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I sat in biology class staring at

the pickled rabbit fetus while Mr.

Herd said it was an adolescent

phase that people outgrew.

Valerie looks at Sara across the room, her head down in

shame.

VALERIE (V.O.)

Sara did. I didn't.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two teenage girls stand in front of a middle aged couple.

They are holding hands.

VALERIE (V.O.)

In 1994, I stopped pretending and

took a girl called Christine home

to meet my parents.

The greying woman repeats the sign of the cross over and

over, sobbing into a handkerchief. Her husband's face is

contorted in disgust.

VALERIE (V.O.)

A week later I moved to London to

go to college and study drama. My

mother said I broke her heart.

EXT. PARK - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two young women cuddle on a park bench under a London summer

sky, feeding the pigeons.

VALERIE (V.O.)

But it was my integrity that was

important. Is that so selfish? It

sells for so little but it's all we

have left in this place...

The black haired girl nibbles on the blonde's ear.

VALERIE (V.O.)

It is the very last inch of us...

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

Evey struggles against Rossiter's weight who keeps her head

submerged.

VALERIE (V.O.)

But within that inch we are free.

INTERROGATOR:

Enough.

Rossiter wrenches back and Evey sucks hard for air, coughing

out water.

INTERROGATOR:

Now Miss Hammond, let us review the

facts.

Evey stares at him, eyes red, heart pounding in her ears.

INTERROGATOR:

You work for codename V. Codename

V killed Delia Surridge and then

Derek Almond with your help and

that is why you were found outside

her home.

Evey begins to shake her head, water sluicing off her thin

face.

INTERROGATOR:

Isn't that what happened, Miss

Hammond?

EVEY:

No. No, that isn't true --

INTERROGATOR:

Oh dear, Rossiter?

Rossiter grabs Evey's neck --

EVEY:

No, wait!

Plunging her head into the bowl. Water fills Evey's nose and

ears.

VALERIE (V.O.)

London. I was happy in London.

INT. THEATRE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

The packed house watches as a Prince kneels before a woman's

bare foot with a slipper of glass.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I played Dandini in Cinderella.

The woman glances into the dark sea of faces.

VALERIE (V.O.)

The world was strange and rustling

with invisible crowds behind the

hot lights and all that breathless

glamour.

EXT. MEADOW - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two women weep in each other's arms, embracing in a perfect

knee high meadow.

VALERIE (V.O.)

Work improved. I got small film

roles, then bigger ones.

The blonde woman brushes away a tear from the other's cheek.

VALERIE (V.O.)

In 2006, I starred in "The Salt

Flats." That's where I met Ruth.

We fell in love.

We pull back and see we are on location for a movie and the

two women are being filmed.

INT. CONDO - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Ruth and Valerie sit on the couch watching television. On

the table behind them is a bouquet of violet carson roses.

VALERIE (V.O.)

Every Valentine's Day she sent me

roses and, oh god, we had so much.

Those were the best three years of

my life.

The two women stare at the newscast in tears, the sound of

marching coming from the set's speakers.

VALERIE (V.O.)

In 2010, they came.

EXT. LONDON STREET - DAY - FLASHBACK

The sound of marching explodes as columns of men in brown

uniforms and jack boots fill the streets.

VALERIE (V.O.)

And after that there were no more

roses...

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

Rossiter presses his elbow onto Evey's neck, holding her

submerged.

VALERIE (V.O.)

Not for anybody.

Rossiter lets Evey up. Her red burnt lungs gulp at the air.

VALERIE (V.O.)

After the takeover, they started

rounding up the gays. They took

Ruth while she was out looking for

food.

Evey blinks hard, black fireworks exploding in her eyes.

VALERIE (V.O.)

Why are they so frightened of us?

She wheezes, on the edge of unconsciousness.

VALERIE (V.O.)

They burned her face with

cigarettes and made her give them

my name. She signed a statement

saying I'd seduced her.

The interrogator's voice melts into a slag heap of sound with

the hot, rhythmic pounding in her ears.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I didn't blame her. God, I loved

her but I didn't blame her.

Rossiter uncuffs Evey, slipping the black bag over her head.

VALERIE (V.O.)

But she did.

Evey's knees buckle as he forces her to stand.

VALERIE (V.O.)

She killed herself in her cell.

She couldn't live with betraying

me, with giving up that last inch.

Oh, Ruth.

Evey weaves down the hall. Rossiter shoving her from behind.

VALERIE (V.O.)

They came for me. They shaved off

my hair. They held my head down a

toilet and told lesbian jokes.

They brought me here and pumped me

full of chemicals.

The cell door swings open.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I can't feel my tongue. I can't

speak.

Rossiter yanks the hood from her head and pushes her in.

VALERIE (V.O.)

It is strange that my life should

end in such a terrible place but

for three years I had roses and

apologized to nobody.

The iron door slams shut, lock ringing in the stale air.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I shall die here. Every inch of me

shall perish...

Evey rolls to her knees.

VALERIE (V.O.)

Except one.

She crawls for the rat hole.

VALERIE (V.O.)

An inch. It is small and fragile

and it's the only thing in the

world that's worth having.

Her shaking hand pulls the letter from the stone crevice.

VALERIE (V.O.)

We must never lose it or sell it or

give it away. We must never let

them take it from us.

Evey clutches it like a rosary as she begins to cry.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I don't know who you are but I hope

you escape this place. I hope that

the world turns and things get

better and that one day people have

roses again.

She holds the note to her face, her tears soaking into the

fragile paper.

VALERIE (V.O.)

I don't know who you are but I love

you. I love you. Valerie.

Slowly, Evey slips away, succumbing to blackness.

EVEY (V.O.)

I had come to know every inch of

those four walls in that dark hell

and they knew every inch of me.

Every inch...

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

Loud lights blare against Evey's solemn face.

EVEY (V.O.)

Except one.

A typed document sits on a small tray table in front of her.

INTERROGATOR:

"My name is Evey Hammond. On the

5th of November 2019, I was

abducted by the terrorist known as

codename V and then taken against

my will to an unknown location."

Rossiter hovers just behind her as the Interrogator reads her

confession.

INTERROGATOR:

"Once there, I was systematically

brainwashed by means physical and

psychological. I was frequently

subjected to sexual abuse during

this period."

Evey's expression is unchanging.

INTERROGATOR:

"Eventually I was terrorized into

helping him commit the murders of

Derek Almond, Dr. Delia Surridge,

and Anthony Lilliman, Bishop of

Westminster."

Rossiter drops a pen on the table.

INTERROGATOR:

"I, the undersigned, swear that the

above statement is genuine and that

it was not signed by means of

intimidation."

The pen slowly rocks to a stop.

INTERROGATOR:

We'd like you to sign that for us,

Miss Hammond. Where we've put the

little cross.

She blinks.

EVEY:

No.

INTERROGATOR:

As you wish.

Rossiter begins unbuckling Evey's restraints.

INTERROGATOR:

Escort Miss Hammond back to her

cell, Rossiter, where she will wait

while you arrange a wet detail of

six men.

He forces Evey to her feet.

INTERROGATOR:

Then take her out behind the

chemical sheds and shoot her.

INT. CELL

The door opens behind Evey as she rereads Valerie's letter

for the last time.

ROSSITER:

It's time, unless you want to

change your mind.

She holds the tattered piece of toilet paper to her chest.

ROSSITER:

Sign that statement. You could be

out inside three years. Perhaps

they'd find you a job with the

Finger.

Evey closes her eyes.

EVEY:

Thank you but I'd rather die behind

the chemical sheds.

Her last words hang in the air.

ROSSITER:

Then there's nothing left to

threaten you with, is there? You

are free.

He turns and leaves.

EVEY:

What?

She listens as his footsteps fade down the hall, the door

hanging weirdly open.

Evey takes a few tentative steps toward the door and sticks

her head out into the empty hall, peering down both ways.

Slowly, she emerges from her cell, retracing her path down

the hall that her blindfold never allowed her to see.

Quietly inching along the wall, Evey peeks around a corner,

gasping at the rigid guard standing off to the side. There

is something about the man's frozen stare that keeps her from

running.

Evey straightens and crosses to the guard.

It is a mannequin.

She touches him, the wheeled platform he is mounted on

rolling back against the wall.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

The door creaks open as Evey enters the room where for so

long she was questioned and tortured.

She crosses to the frozen Interrogator sitting at his desk.

Her finger brushes lightly against the plastic hand, then

Evey raps a knuckle on his hollow wooden head. Around his

neck a small speaker hangs from a cord.

Evey drifts uneasily into a back room where a discarded

prison guard's uniform hangs on a rack. On a table next to a

wig and pair of gloves, the rat looks up at her through the

bars of its tiny cage.

She moves through another door, the wind suddenly knocked

from her chest as she finally sees where her prison was

built --

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V steps from the shadows.

V:

Welcome home, Evey.

EVEY:

You...

Her mouth hangs open.

EVEY:

You did this... to me.

Evey's rail thin figure begins to shake.

EVEY:

You did this to me!

She stumbles against the wall, unable to support herself.

EVEY:

You -- You hit me and -- and cut my

hair. It was you. It was just you

all this time.

She doubles over, covering her face as she bursts into tears.

EVEY:

You tortured me. You tortured me --

Evey looks up at him, body shivering as he quietly glides

toward her.

EVEY:

Oh god, why?

V:

Because I love you, Evey. Because

I wanted to set you free.

EVEY:

Love?

A look of horror twists her starved face.

EVEY:

Set me free? Don't you realize?

Slender fingers ball into fists.

EVEY:

Don't you realize what you did to

me? You nearly drove me mad!

Disgust and anger light up her eyes.

EVEY:

I hate you.

Her little, wiry body coils tight as she circles him.

EVEY:

I hate you! Set me free? You put

me in a prison to set me free?!

V:

You were already in a prison.

You've been in a prison all your

life.

EVEY:

Shut up! I don't want to hear it.

I wasn't in a prison. I was happy!

I was happy here --

V:

Happiness is the most insidious

prison of all, Evey.

EVEY:

That's warped! That's evil and

it's wrong! What gives you the

right to judge? Who are you to say

what's not good enough?!

V:

You were born in a prison, Evey. I

didn't put you there. I just

showed you the bars. You've been

in a prison so long, you no longer

believe there's an outside world.

She wheels away from him, covering her ears, trying to get

away from his voice.

EVEY:

Shut up! You're mad! I don't want

to hear it!

V:

That's because you're afraid, Evey.

You're afraid because you can feel

freedom closing in on you. You're

afraid because freedom is

terrifying.

Evey falls, stumbling through the labyrinth of the Shadow

Gallery.

EVEY:

I can't feel anything! There's

nothing left to feel! Don't you

understand?

V:

Don't back away from it, Evey.

Part of you understands the truth

even as part pretends not to.

She collapses, head pounding.

V:

Woman, this is the most important

moment in your life. Don't run

from it.

EVEY:

I don't know what -- Oh god -- I

can't breathe --

V couches next to her.

V:

Good. You're almost there. Go

closer. Feel the shape of it.

EVEY:

What are you doing to me? I can't

breathe --

V:

You were in a cell. They offered

you a choice between the death of

your principles and the death of

your body.

He cradles her as she hyperventilates, tears streaming down

her face.

EVEY:

I feel -- I feel like I'm going to

burst.

V:

You said you'd rather die. You

faced the fear of your own death

and you were calm. Try to feel now

what you felt then.

EVEY:

Oh god -- I felt --

The mask hovers over her.

EVEY:

Like an angel --

He squeezes her shuddering body.

EVEY:

Oh god, V, I'm so scared. What's

happening to me?

V:

The door of the cage is open, Evey.

All that you feel is the wind from

outside. Don't be afraid.

Gently, he lifts her.

V:

Try to walk. The lift will take us

to the roof.

EVEY:

The roof? Outside?

He helps her to an open elevator.

EVEY:

I -- I don't want to be

blindfolded.

V:

No, Evey. No more blindfolds.

The cage in the elevator rattles shut.

EXT. ROOF - NIGHT

The two figures stand in the door of the roof access, a

raging tempest oozing from a split sky.

Something draws Evey out into the storm.

Slowly, she walks beneath it, the wind and rain pounding

against her thin frame. Evey lets the coarse slipover fall

to the ground and stares straight up into the storm, naked,

the elements soaking into her very being.

V moves up behind her.

V:

Do you feel it?

EVEY:

Everything's so -- different.

V:

I know. Five years ago, I too

stared beneath a night like this.

Naked under a roaring sky.

A low rumble of thunder washes over London.

V:

The night is yours, Evey. Seize

it. Encircle it within your arms.

His words buffet against her with the sheets of rain.

V:

Bury it in your heart up to the

hilt.

She raises her arms to embrace the raging torrent.

V:

Become transfixed and

transfigured --

A jagged bolt of lightning shatters the sky.

V:

Forever.

EXT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Finch gets out of a police car and looks up the black face of

the modern building. He sighs and taps his pipe against the

heel of his shoe.

DASCOMBE:

Finch!

Finch turns to find Dascombe hurrying towards him.

DASCOMBE:

Do you know what this is all about?

FINCH:

No, but I can guess.

DASCOMBE:

What?

FINCH:

"Remember, remember, the fifth of

November."

DASCOMBE:

Oh come on. He's long gone. He

has to be. He did what he came to

do and it's over.

Finch chews on his pipe.

DASCOMBE:

Isn't it?

FINCH:

Not for us.

He turns and heads into the building.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

EXT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY

A dark November sky hangs like a shroud over the building.

LEADER (V.O.)

A year, gentlemen.

INT. COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM

The heads of each department are gathered around a table of

black granite.

Peter Creedy, sitting back out of the lights, is the new head

of the Finger.

LEADER:

I have given you almost a year and

you have given me nothing.

Nothing!

He glares at Finch.

DASCOMBE:

Now Adam, there is no one better

than Finch and you know it.

LEADER:

Yes, Mr. Dascombe, I do know it.

It is that very fact that keeps me

awake at night, wondering if

perhaps there is a reason that Mr.

Finch has failed.

FINCH:

What are you saying?

LEADER:

I'm saying that perhaps I don't

know you as well as I thought I

did.

FINCH:

Are you asking for my resignation?

LEADER:

No, I am asking for some goddamn

results!

DASCOMBE:

It's not Finch's fault, Adam.

CONRAD:

We've all been looking. The man

simply disappeared.

ETHERIDGE:

Vanished.

DASCOMBE:

He's gone, Adam. It's over.

The Leader trembles like a volcano set to blow.

LEADER:

It's over, is it? He's gone.

Vanished, you say?

The Leader grabs a large box from the floor and hurls reams

of computer printout across the table.

LEADER:

Transcripts recorded over the last

thirty days in which the terrorist

was talked about or mentioned in a

positive context. This is only

thirty days!

He punches a "play" button and a wall of monitors blink on.

It is a recording of a television variety show.

A character that is made to look like Adam Susan is giving a

speech. A woman is dressed like V except that the only thing

she is wearing under her cloak is a garter belt, stockings

and high heels.

V sneaks up behind Susan and yanks his pants down. Susan is

outraged but when he gives chase he trips over his pants.

The audience hoots and howls.

The Leader kills the tape.

LEADER:

Is this what you consider,

"disappeared?"

DASCOMBE:

For god's sake, Adam, it's a stupid

variety show.

LEADER:

Mr. Creedy, I want the producers,

writers, and actors of that "stupid

variety show" arrested and charged

with sedition.

CREEDY:

Yes, sir.

DASCOMBE:

You can't be serious --

LEADER:

Push me, Roger, push me and you'll

find out how serious I am.

He stares each of them to silence.

LEADER:

This, this V is still out there. I

can feel him like a sickness

worming its way into the hearts and

minds of the public. Something

must be done, and done quickly, to

exorcise this demon for the very

soul of this country is at stake.

He pauses.

LEADER:

That is why I am compelled to give

each and every one of you notice

that if by the fifth of November

you are still giving me nothing

more than excuses, I will have to

revoke your party status and

terminate your positions.

Everyone is stunned.

LEADER:

Mr. Creedy, I will speak with you

in private. The rest of you are

dismissed. England prevails.

INT. LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader stands at the window.

LEADER:

Mr. Creedy, as the new head of the

Finger, you are the most important

member of my cabinet.

CREEDY:

I, uh, appreciate your faith in me.

LEADER:

Your predecessor, Mr. Almond, was a

good man, a man who understood what

strength in unity meant, a man who,

above all, loved his country. I

need to know if you are such a man.

His eyes bore into him.

LEADER:

Do you love your country, Mr.

Creedy?

EXT. ALLEYWAY

A police car is parked in a dark alley. It is raining and

the windows of the car are completely steamed.

CREEDY:

Oh god, yes!

He is sweating, his knuckles white as he squeezes the

steering wheel, panting.

We hear a noise like a very wet kiss and then a woman's

voice.

HELEN:

"The most important member of my

cabinet." Yes it is, isn't it,

dear?

Helen lifts her head out of his lap. Her lipstick is smeared

about her mouth.

CREEDY:

Oh, don't stop.

HELEN:

I stop when you stop. What did he

say next?

CREEDY:

I can't --

She whispers in his ear while playing with his lap.

HELEN:

Come on, Peter, what are you afraid

of? Almond used to tell me

everything and you're twice the man

he was.

CREEDY:

He asked me... if I loved my

country.

HELEN:

Oh yes, I can tell you do love your

country, almost as much as you love

this...

She lowers her head into this lap.

CREEDY:

Oh god...

HELEN:

Go on.

CREEDY:

Then he asked me to do something...

oh, oh...

HELEN:

What?

CREEDY:

Helen, I can't. I can't tell you.

Helen lifts her head.

HELEN:

He told you to frame someone as the

terrorist.

CREEDY:

My god?! How did you know that?

HELEN:

I know Adam Susan. Now who was it?

CREEDY:

No way. I can't tell you that.

HELEN:

Yes you can, honey. You can and

you will. You have to trust me,

love. We're going to help each

other.

CREEDY:

Helen, please.

HELEN:

Look at that face. You see?

You're just bursting to tell me.

Her head drops back down. Creedy moans.

HELEN:

Now who was it?

CREEDY:

It was... Fi... Fi... FINCH!

The name seems to orgasm from his mouth.

INT. FINCH'S APARTMENT

Finch sits alone in his modest apartment, reading a book.

The book is Koesterler's, "The Roots of Coincidence."

An old CD player is playing music, a Bach piano concerto.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V is playing the exact same concerto on his piano, his gloved

fingers gracefully flitting across the keys.

Evey enters the gallery. Her hair has grown out but is still

short. She projects a kind of strength that comes from a

deep inner peace.

V coaxes the final delicate notes and lets them softly fade.

EVEY:

That was beautiful.

She walks up to him and takes the smiling face in her hands.

EVEY:

I've wanted to do this for a long

time.

She bends and gently kisses the frozen lips.

EVEY:

Thank you, V. Thank you for

everything you've done for me.

V:

You did it all yourself, Evey. I

just provided the backdrop but the

drama was all your own.

EVEY:

It was a good backdrop. I believed

it. I really did. It's still a

bit hard for me to accept that it

wasn't real. That it was just you.

Especially the letter.

She takes the letter from her pocket.

EVEY:

It is a beautiful letter, V. Every

time I read it I could feel

Valerie, almost like she was

holding me. I believed in her most

of all. I believed that she loved

me and I loved her back.

She looks down.

EVEY:

I feel a bit foolish telling you

this. I know that you must have

written it and thought you should

have it back.

V:

But I didn't write that letter,

Evey.

EVEY:

What?

V:

Come with me.

INT. VALERIE'S ROOM

It is a shrine. The walls are covered with movie posters and

reviews and pictures of an actresses named Valerie Page. We

recognize her as the woman chosen for the medical block just

before V.

Everywhere there are flower boxes filled with blooming roses;

violet carsons.

EVEY:

Valerie?

V:

Yes. Valerie Page. She was the

woman in room four.

EVEY:

She's beautiful.

V:

She wrote the letter just before

she died. I delivered it to you as

it was delivered to me. The words

you wept over were the same words

that transformed me.

Evey smiles and bends to smell the roses.

EVEY:

Roses. You grew them for her.

V:

Yes.

EVEY:

They're beautiful.

V:

Evey, do you know what day it is?

EVEY:

Two days before the first day we

met.

V:

You remembered.

EVEY:

You're planning something, aren't

you, V?

V:

You know me too well now.

EVEY:

What are you going to do?

V:

I'm going to fulfill an old

promise.

Evey c*cks an eyebrow.

V:

I'll show you.

INT. UNDERGROUND STAIRWELL

Carrying a lantern, V leads Evey down a dark stone staircase.

EVEY:

I've never been here before.

V:

Yes. It is the deepest part of my

home. Once you know it, I should

think you'll know everything.

He pushes a button and a secret passage opens in a heavy

stone wall.

There is a small narrow series of passageways that he guides

her through, leading to another door. Evey steps out into an

underground subway station.

INT. VICTORIA STATION

Parked beside the concrete platform is a beautiful antique

train car.

EVEY:

Oh, V, it's lovely. Where on earth

did you find it?

V:

In a way, I suppose it really found

me.

Evey steps into the train car and finds it filled with little

packages wrapped in wax paper.

EVEY:

What's in these packages?

V:

Gelignite.

She screams and almost drops one.

V:

Careful.

EVEY:

What are you going to do with all

of it?

V:

I told you. I'm going to finish

what was started four hundred years

ago.

EVEY:

Where does this train go?

V:

This is the old Victoria line but

it is blocked, blocked somewhere

between Whitehall and St. James.

EVEY:

Whitehall... V, that's the New

Government Building.

V nods.

EVEY:

But the underground has been shut

down for years. How are you going

to make it run without any power?

V:

I just thought I might ask them to

turn it on for me.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader sits bathed in the flickering images of the Fate

computer.

LEADER:

Yes, Mr. Creedy?

CREEDY:

Everything's set, sir. No worries.

LEADER:

When?

CREEDY:

Tonight.

On one of the screens, a television program has just begun.

ANNOUNCER:

Tonight on Tales from the Bible, a

story of treachery and betrayal

from the Book of Daniel.

We cut from that screen to another screen --

INT. JORDAN TOWER - CONTROL BOOTH

The television studio where Roger Dascombe surveys a large

bank of monitors filled with the images of typically vapid

television entertainment.

DASCOMBE:

All of London's waiting. Ready,

two. And here we go --

A player locks on as a recorded program begins. We move in

as the logo slashes across the screen: Storm Saxon.

ANNOUNCER:

Tonight, England's greatest hero

repels the forces of darkness in a

brand new episode.

We pull back from the show's opening teaser and find

ourselves looking at a small television.

INT. JORDAN TOWER

In the delivery bay at the back of Jordan tower, five

security guards are riveted to the heroic actions of Storm

Saxon.

HEIDI:

Oh, Storm. Save me! Save me!

STORM:

You mongrel trash, if you harm her!

MONGREL TRASH:

Look out, de white debil has a

laser lugar!

Behind them, a shadowy figure in a cloak and tall hat enters

the loading bay.

GUARD:

Hey, what the -- ?

They all turn and find a smiling V.

They go for their weapons. V goes for them. It is brutal

and quick, knives slicing in bloody arcs, bodies kicked and

thrown with superhuman power.

The TV crashes to the ground and we move in at it as Storm

Saxon stands triumphant beside his buxom lass.

HEIDI:

Oh Storm, hold me. Hold me tight.

We pull back on another television screen inside --

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

Dominic is chewing on a hamburger, engrossed in Storm Saxon.

Across the room, Finch is reading the "Roots of Coincidence."

FINCH:

I don't know how you stand that

tripe.

Dominic answers with a mouthful of cheeseburger.

DOMINIC:

Es gooh.

Finch shakes his head, reaching for his pipe. He realizes he

is out of tobacco. He slides open the bottom desk drawer and

his eyes almost pop out of his head.

He stares into the drawer like someone staring at his own

tombstone.

DOMINIC:

Finch? Finch, what's wrong?

Slowly, he lifts something from the drawer. On his desk, he

lays out several knives, a cloak, a hat, and a smiling mask.

DOMINIC:

What the hell?

Finch lifts the mask and almost has to laugh.

FINCH:

Don't you see, Dominic?

He puts the mask to his face.

FINCH:

I'm V.

INT. JORDAN TOWER

V emerges from an elevator and immediately attacks several

more guards. A surveillance camera watches as V steps over

their slumped, broken bodies.

INT. CONTROL CENTER

The security guard sees V on the monitor coming directly down

the hall.

GUARD:

Bloody hell!

He grabs the machine gun, aiming it just as V kicks open the

door.

GUARD:

Freeze!

V stops. At least five guards have trained their weapons on

him. He is surrounded.

Slowly, he lifts his arms as though surrendering. His cloak

opens, revealing enough TNT to level the entire building. In

his hand is the plunger detonator.

GUARD:

F*** all.

V nods.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

The door bursts open as Creedy and a group of heavily armed

Fingermen muscle in.

DOMINIC:

Creedy? What the hell's going on?

CREEDY:

I'm here to arrest Mr. Finch for

acts of treason and terrorism.

DOMINIC:

You can't be serious.

CREEDY:

If I were you, boy, I'd shut my

hole unless you want to start

explaining why you didn't say

nothing about Mr. Finch's secret

identity.

INT. JORDAN TOWER

V follows Roger Dascombe into the main control booth. The

door shuts behind them and they are alone.

All around them are the laugh tracks and gunshots of the

evening's entertainment.

V puts his hand into his cloak and pulls out a videotape. He

hands it to Dascombe.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

Finch glares at Creedy.

FINCH:

Why don't you just shoot me,

Creedy? Wouldn't that make

everything a lot simpler?

CREEDY:

Yeah, I suppose it would.

Creedy smiles, his finger tightening on the trigger when --

DOMINIC:

Holy Christ! Creedy, you stupid

ape! If Finch is V then tell me

who is that?

He points at the television where V sits calmly at a desk in

front of the "VTV" logo.

V:

Good evening, London.

CREEDY:

Bloody f***in' hell.

V:

I thought it was time we had a

little talk.

FINCH:

He has to be at Jordan tower. Come

on!

Finch and Dominic rush out of the room. Creedy looks at his

confused men.

CREEDY:

Don't just stand there! Follow

them!

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

V smiles at the horrified Adam Susan.

V:

Are you sitting comfortably? Good.

Then I'll begin.

The Leader screams, pounding on Fate.

LEADER:

Damn you! Damn you!

He hits the intercom.

LEADER:

Lieutenant, ready my transport. I

want every armed man within a

hundred miles at Jordan tower.

Now!

We move in at VTV.

V:

Right now, I imagine there are

hundreds of soldiers rushing here

to kill me because someone does not

want us to talk.

We pull back in --

INT. LIVING ROOM

A family watching television. In the background, two

children are squabbling.

MOTHER:

Hush. Turn it up.

The husband does. V's voice gets louder as we move towards

him.

V:

They are afraid that I am going to

say the things that are not

supposed to be said. They are

afraid that I am going to say the

truth.

INT. APARTMENT

A man sits on his couch, mesmerized by V.

V:

The truth is that there is

something terribly wrong with this

country, isn't there? If you look

about, you witness cruelty,

injustice and despotism. But what

do you do about it? What can you

do?

He pops his beer tab and the beer foams over the couch but he

doesn't seem to notice.

INT. FINCH'S POLICE CAR

The car races wildly towards Jordan tower as Finch and

Dominic listen to the broadcast on the radio.

V (V.O.)

You are but a single individual.

How can you possible make any

difference? Individuals have no

power in this modern world.

That is what you've been taught

because that is what they need you

to believe. But it is not true.

INT. LEADER'S TRANSPORT

The Leader seethes, staring at three television monitors in

his limo which are all filled with V.

V:

This is why they are afraid and the

reason that I am here; to remind

you that it is individuals who

always hold the power. The real

power. Individuals like me. And

individuals like you.

INT. KITTY KAT KELLER

The bar is almost completely soundless except for the voice

of V. People stare at the television as if the moment were

somehow suspended in time.

V:

I have come to offer you a deal.

If you accept, I will give you a

different world. A world without

curfews, without soldiers and

surveillance systems. A world that

is not run by other men but that is

run by you. I am offering you a

second chance.

EXT. JORDAN TOWER

The military forces have begun to swarm.

V:

Four hundred years ago, a great

citizen made a most significant

contribution to our common culture.

It was a contribution forged in

secrecy and stealth although it is

best remembered in noise and bright

light.

EXT. TELEVISION STORE

A crowd has gathered, watching through the window.

V:

To commemorate that glorious night

at precisely the stroke of

midnight, the edifice of their

world will erupt with enough sound

and fury to shake the earth. All I

ask is that you join me at the

gates to watch as the past is

erased, the pathway cleared so that

together we can start toward a new

day.

EXT. JORDAN TOWER

The Leader climbs out of his limo and is met by one of his

captains.

LEADER:

I want this man dead! I want him

shot on sight!

CAPTAIN:

Yes, sir.

INT. FINCH'S CAR

Finch can see the forces gathering outside Jordan tower.

V (V.O.)

But, you ask, who am I to make such

promises? A fair question but

hardly necessary as you know me

already. To know me any more you

need only look to a mirror.

Finch catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

INT. CONTROL BOOTH

VTV fills every screen.

V:

Truth be told, this wasn't even my

idea, was it? If you think back,

you'll remember that night,

whispering in your lover's arms. I

became a part of your plan just as

you have now become part of mine.

Give me the line of the queen and

I'll give you your secret dream.

INT. JORDAN TOWER - HALLWAY

A heavy battering ram is rushed down the hall, carried by

four soldiers.

V (V.O.)

On the twelfth stroke of the fifth

day of the eleventh month, I hope

we shall all meet again.

EXT. TELEVISION STORE

The crowd is much larger.

V:

Until then, I bid you goodnight.

Every screen suddenly goes black. The crowd turns to each

other, unsure of what to do.

INT. CONTROL BOOTH

The door explodes open. V is standing alone, almost as if

waiting for them.

Before he can even move, they shoot. Machine gun fire lights

up the room. V's body dances and jerks backward, smashing

through an observation window --

Falling to the television stage below.

INT. HALL

A path is cleared for the Leader. As he heads into the

television studio, an armed soldier is heading in the

opposite direction.

It is impossible to tell because of the dark face plate but

it looks like the soldier is smiling.

The Leader shoves his way onto the main stage. A group of

soldiers is gathered around the body.

LEADER:

Who was it? Who was he?

The mask is pried off, revealing the lifeless face of Roger

Dascombe. To the Leader, it is an obvious revelation.

LEADER:

Roger Dascombe! Of course. Of

course! It makes such perfect

sense.

CAPTAIN:

Sir, I think there has been a

mistake.

LEADER:

No! There is no mistake!

CAPTAIN:

But sir, there are people that say

they saw both the terrorist and

Dascombe together --

LEADER:

Who? Who are these people? They

must be detained immediately.

Whatever they saw or whatever they

think they saw is subordinate to

the truth and that truth is that

Roger Dascombe is the terrorist and

the terrorist is dead!

FINCH:

But I thought I was the terrorist.

Finch's voice stops the Leader cold.

LEADER:

Finch, what are you doing here?

FINCH:

Since I'm not in jail and since you

have another, even more convenient

suspect. I'm guessing the charges

have been dropped.

LEADER:

Be careful, Finch.

FINCH:

I am careful, sir. Always. That

is why I suggest that a search of

this building begin immediately.

LEADER:

The terrorist is dead!

FINCH:

With all due respect, I disagree

and I believe that he is presently

trying to get out of this building

disguised as one of us.

LEADER:

Are you challenging my authority?

FINCH:

No sir, I'm trying to run an

investigation --

LEADER:

I am trying to run a country! When

I tell you, Mr. Finch, the

terrorist is dead, then the

terrorist is dead! If you continue

to suggest otherwise then you will

leave me no choice but to have you

arrested on charges of sedition.

Do I make myself clear?

He eyes the room. Everyone is silent.

LEADER:

Now, it is imperative for the

people of London to know that they

are safe, that the terrorist is

dead and everything is under

control.

The Leader storms past Finch who looks at Dascombe and bites

down on his pipe.

EXT. CITY STREET

One of the Ear's black vans has been modified with large

speakers wired to the roof. As the van rolls down the

street, the speakers drone with a looped message.

SPEAKERS:

The terrorist is dead. No further

threat exists. Everything is under

control.

Out of the back, soldiers hurl leaflets that swirl and

flutter in the van's wake.

The little girl on the bicycle that we saw earlier stops and

picks up one of the leaflets.

It has a picture with the body of Roger Dascombe beneath the

headline, "The terrorist is dead! London is safe once

again!"

LITTLE GIRL:

Bollocks.

She crumbles the leaflet and throws it.

LITTLE GIRL:

Bollocks!

She gets off her bike and takes something out of the

backpack.

LITTLE GIRL:

He's not dead! It's all bollocks!

Turning to a nearby wall, she spray paints a large circle

around a "V".

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

A recording of VTV plays on the small television.

V:

... if you give me the line of the

queen, I'll give you your secret

dream.

Dominic freezes the image; V stares at them, smiling.

FINCH:

Play it again.

DOMINIC:

Come on, Finch. We've seen it

fifty times. I mean, after what

they done to you, I don't know why

we're even trying to stop him.

Finch stares out the window.

FINCH:

I don't know. For twenty seven

years, I've been at this job.

Twenty seven years, I've done what

I've been told to do. Maybe that's

all there is to it. I'm just a

dumb old dog. A dumb old dog that

only knows one trick.

DOMINIC:

That ain't it, Finch. It's more

than that. I know you. It's

something personal with this one.

Finch smiles.

FINCH:

Maybe. And maybe I'm not ready for

a revolution.

DOMINIC:

Well, we got less than thirty hours

to stop it.

FINCH:

We will.

DOMINIC:

How?

FINCH:

It's on the tape. I know it. I

can feel it. He did this for a

reason. He needs something.

DOMINIC:

What?

FINCH:

The line of the Queen?

DOMINIC:

But what does that mean?

FINCH:

Maybe it's a line from Shakespeare.

Or a book. I don't know.

He rewinds and starts the tape.

V:

... This wasn't even my idea, was

it?

FINCH:

But right here. He's talking to

someone. Someone specific.

Someone who knows what he wants.

V:

If you think back, you'll --

INT. CONRAD'S BEDROOM

V continues on a different television.

V:

Remember that night, whispering in

your lover's arms.

Helen Heyer is lying on her bed, eating chocolates, watching

V through calculating eyes.

At her feet, we hear a suckling noise that suddenly stops.

CONRAD:

Helen? Helen, why did you want

that tape?

HELEN:

Shut up, Conrad. I'm thinking.

She shoves her foot back into his mouth and he continues to

suck on it and each of her toes.

V:

... now you've become a part of

mine.

HELEN:

How? How did you know that?

Conrad moves up her ankle, licking and kissing his way to her

knee.

CONRAD:

Know what, my love?

V:

Give me the line of the Queen and

I'll give you your secret dream.

She freezes the tape. Her eyes light up and she smiles back

at him.

HELEN:

All right. You have a deal.

Conrad licks along the inside of her thigh until she slaps

him.

HELEN:

Oh no! Not you. Conrad. Not yet.

Here you can have a chocolate.

Open up. Open!

She shoves the candy in his mouth.

HELEN:

Good boy. As for the rest of the

box, perhaps when you're Leader.

She smiles.

HELEN:

Right now I need something else

Conrad. I need you to use that

pretty little brain for me. You

know all about the old underground,

don't you?

He nods still gagged with the candy.

HELEN:

I need to know everything,

understand? Everything.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

There are cameras set in front of the large black leather

chair so that the flashing images and data of the Fate

computer system can be seen behind the Leader.

A makeup artist mattes down the Leader's lipstick.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Ready in five, Leader.

The makeup artist adjusts one last hair and scurries off.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

In four, three...

He points and the camera's red light goes on.

INT. LIVING ROOM

The same family, the same squabbling children watching as a

"Special Bulletin" interrupts a laugh track.

LEADER:

Good evening London. As Leader of

this great country, I felt it

imperative to speak with you and to

assure you once and for all that

the shadow that recently fell

across our land has indeed passed.

WOMAN:

Oh, for f***'s sake.

EXT. TELEVISION STORE - NIGHT

No one is watching.

LEADER:

What we have endured this long year

was no accident, no mere

coincidence. This was not a simple

act of terror conducted by a

singular madman. No, this was a

test.

INT. KITTY KAT KELLER

A drunk struggles up onto his bar stool blocking the TV.

LEADER:

It was not me, nor the Party, nor

the government that was threatened

this year. It was our beliefs.

Our faith. I believe that God

himself bore witness to our

struggle and like Job I believe

that we have been vindicated.

The drunk raises his glass.

DRUNK:

Remember fifth of November!

The bar cheers.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader reaches for his Bible.

LEADER:

How do I know this? Let me read to

you where I found the answer, where

I so often find the answer. In the

Scripture. Revelations.

EXT. STREET CORNER - NIGHT

The megaphones blast the Leader's voice.

LEADER (V.O.)

"If any man have an ear, let him

hear."

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

There are stacks of printout everywhere.

LEADER (V.O.)

"He that leadeth into captivity

shall go into captivity; he that

killeth with the sword shall be

killed with the sword. Here is the

patience and faith of the Saints."

Finch stops reading, listening to the radio.

LEADER (V.O.)

"And I beheld another beast coming

out of the Earth; and he had two

horns like a lamb and he spake as a

dragon."

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Another radio crackles with the Leader's voice.

LEADER (V.O.)

"And he doeth great wonders, so

that he maketh fire come down from

Heaven on the Earth in the sight of

men."

V nods, almost laughing as Evey enters the gallery.

LEADER (V.O.)

"And he deceiveth them that dwell

on the Earth by the means of those

miracles which he had the power to

do --"

EVEY:

Oh, V, turn it off, please.

V:

Of course, my dear.

He reaches over and changes the frequency. We hear voices,

hushed and secret but we recognize them.

CREEDY (V.O.)

But how does he know?

HELEN (V.O.)

I don't know. All I know is he

does... And I know what he wants.

The voices are labored, punctuated by gasps and moans.

EVEY:

What is that, V?

V:

That, Evey, is what I have been

waiting for.

CREEDY (V.O.)

Do you know what I want? I want

you just like this... Bent over

that black leather chair...

We are pulled by the radio into --

INT. CREEDY'S BEDROOM

Where we see a tiny microphone hidden in the ceiling light

above the bed.

Helen moans as we drift down, glimpsing Helen, her arms

reaching for the edges of the bed, her back arching up

towards Creedy, behind her, smiling.

CREEDY:

What about Conrad?

HELEN:

I told you, I'll handle Conrad and

V will take care of Susan. The mob

will take care of the guard and

then... You can use the Finger to

take over.

CREEDY:

Use the Finger? You mean like

this?

He inserts a finger into her.

HELEN:

Oh... oh... that is vulgar...

CREEDY:

But you like it?

HELEN:

Yes, oh yes, oh you're a pig,

Peter...

CREEDY:

That I am, misses. But I'm the pig

that's gonna be running this

country.

That sends a shiver through Helen's body.

HELEN:

Yes and I'm... I'm going to be

Eva... Oh Eva...

Her eyes close and her fists knot the sheets.

HELEN:

"Don't cry for me Argen... oh

Argen... Argen... tina!

The word is almost lost in her orgasm.

EXT. LONDON

The sun rises over London. It is the morning of the fourth.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

Finch looks through the blinds at the morning sun. He has

been up all night. He checks his watch: 6:00am.

FINCH:

Eighteen hours.

Rubbing the knot in his neck, he turns back to his office

which is now buried beneath mounds of paper.

Dominic is passed out, sprawled on the couch, and clutching a

printout from Spencer's "Fairy Queen."

FINCH:

Dominic!

Dominic jumps, immediately searching the printout.

FINCH:

Dominic, go home.

DOMINIC:

But I've still got over three

hundred lines from The Fairy Queen.

FINCH:

Forget it. There's no more time.

You go home and get some rest.

You're going to need it tonight.

Dominic lets the papers fall to the floor.

DOMINIC:

He's got us, doesn't he, Finch?

FINCH:

Yes, he does.

EXT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Conrad pulls his car into his reserved space.

INT. CAR

Helen holds Conrad's chin the way a mother holds a child when

she is telling them something important.

HELEN:

Now listen to me, Conrad. This is

the most important moment of our

lives. Everything I've worked and

hoped for comes to this. Susan is

a very dangerous man, especially

now, that's why I need you, Conrad.

I need you to be stronger than him.

I need you to be the better man.

Understand?

Conrad nods.

HELEN:

If you do this Conrad, and you do

it right, I'm going to turn you

from the little man I married into

the man of my dreams.

CONRAD:

Oh, Helen.

He embraces her to kiss but she turns her perfectly painted

lips.

HELEN:

Not on the lips.

Ardently, he kisses her cheek.

INT. FINCH'S OFFICE

Finch sits alone, palms pressed to his bleary eyes.

FINCH:

Give it up, old man. You're not

even sure you want to stop him.

With a red pen, he begins absently drawing red circles around

any V he sees on any piece of paper.

Victims. Vectors. Values. Victory. Words from quotes and

lists.

Suddenly, he stops. Carefully, as if reaching to touch a

butterfly, he slips a single sheet out from the sheaves

covering his desk.

The paper has a long list: the names of all the Queens of

England. He has circled in red the V in Victoria.

When it hits him, it hits him like a falling safe.

FINCH:

Christ! That's it! It's got to be

it!

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The intercom clicks on.

LIEUTENANT (V.O.)

Sir, Mr. Heyer is here to see you.

Says it's urgent. And he's here

with his wife, sir.

LEADER:

His wife?

LIEUTENANT (V.O.)

Sir, yes, sir -- Wait, you can't

go --

The door slaps open.

HELEN:

Leader, I'm terribly sorry but I

absolutely must speak with you.

The Leader waves the Lieutenant off.

HELEN:

I have something to tell you,

something important but --

She glances at Conrad.

HELEN:

I can tell you and only you. In

private.

The Leader studies her.

HELEN:

It is a matter of national

security.

EXT. CITY STREET

In his car, Finch races to a corner and slams on the brakes.

He gets out, staring at a shadow on the ground: a "V" in a

circle.

The shadow is cast by a sign for Victoria Station, part of

the abandoned subway.

The gates are chained shut. He fires his pistol into the

lock, kicks open the rusting gates, and descends into the

underground.

INT. LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader closes the door behind them.

LEADER:

Now what's this all about, Mrs.

Heyer?

HELEN:

Please, forgive me. I've been so

afraid, afraid to come here to talk

to you. I thought he must know. I

was terrified he knew but I had to

come because I knew you were the

only one that can protect me.

LEADER:

Protect you from what?

She is unable to go on, seemingly about to burst into tears.

LEADER:

Come now, Mrs. Heyer.

He touches her and it is all she needs. She buries her face

into his chest.

HELEN:

You won't let him hurt me, will

you?

LEADER:

Let who hurt you?

HELEN:

The terrorist.

LEADER:

The terrorist is dead.

HELEN:

Oh, how I wanted to believe it,

Leader, but I know it's not true.

LEADER:

How?

HELEN:

Because I know who the terrorist

is.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

Conrad is alone with Fate. He glances about nervously,

moving closer and closer. His fingers reach out and graze

the main keyboard. Taking a deep breath, he turns and begins

to type.

INT. PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader takes hold of Helen by her shoulders.

LEADER:

Who? Who is it, woman?

HELEN:

It's Conrad, Leader. Conrad. My

husband is the terrorist.

LEADER:

What?!

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

Conrad accesses the department of water and power. He finds

the correct file and begins rerouting power to a once dead

system.

INT. V'S TRAIN STATION

A hanging light suddenly sizzles to life. V looks up,

smiling.

INT. LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader stares hard at Helen.

LEADER:

How do you know?

HELEN:

I saw him, Leader. In the middle

of the night. I heard something.

I went to the landing and that's

when I saw it.

She clutches him.

HELEN:

That mask. That hideous smiling

mask.

LEADER:

But how did you know it was Heyer?

HELEN:

I know, Leader. I know the way a

woman knows.

LEADER:

But you have no proof?

HELEN:

Proof?

LEADER:

Yes, proof? This is an extremely

delicate situation, Mrs. Heyer. It

has been reported that the

terrorist is dead. It would be a

catastrophe to arrest a man now

without concrete, conclusive proof.

Do you have any evidence at all?

Tears well up in Helen's eyes as she shakes her head.

LEADER:

But if you're right, if Heyer is

indeed the terrorist...

His eyes fly wide and he spins away from her, throwing open

the door.

HELEN:

Leader! Wait!

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

Conrad sits calmly across the room.

CONRAD:

Is everything all right? Helen?

LEADER:

Yes, Mr. Heyer, your wife has done

her duty to her country.

He turns to Helen.

LEADER:

Don't worry, Mrs. Heyer. You will

be taken care of. I will launch an

immediate investigation and I

promise, you will be the first to

know when an arrest will be made.

CONRAD:

Investigation of what?

LEADER:

Subversion, Mr. Heyer. Your wife

was privy to the dialogue of

subversives. That's all you need

to know at this time. Lieutenant!

The Lieutenant appears almost instantly.

LEADER:

The Heyers are leaving. I need to

see Mr. Creedy at once.

Helen looks up at the Leader, a smile hidden near the corners

of her perfect red lips.

HELEN:

Thank you, sir.

The Leader nods.

INT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Helen and Conrad get out of the elevator, standing beneath

the rows of new party flags that line the lobby.

HELEN:

I want you to go straight to your

office and wait for me to call.

When I do, I want you to come

immediately home. Understood?

CONRAD:

Yes, Helen.

She embraces him, pressing her body against his.

HELEN:

Oh, Conrad, I'm so proud of you.

CONRAD:

I did it, Helen. I did it, didn't

I?

HELEN:

Tonight, Conrad.

CONRAD:

Tonight.

HELEN:

I promise you will never forget

tonight.

She almost kisses him.

HELEN:

Goodbye, Conrad.

Smiling, she pivots on her heel and heads for the door. He

reaches for her when --

GUARD:

Mr. Heyer! Mr. Heyer!

The front desk guard rushes towards him.

CONRAD:

Yes?

GUARD:

Sir, this package arrived for you,

sir.

He hands him a small, brown wrapped box.

CONRAD:

Thank you.

He looks back for Helen but she is already gone.

INT. SUBWAY

A single flashlight beam creeps toward us as Finch searches

the detritus of the dead train line.

INT. CONRAD'S CAR

Sitting at a stoplight, Conrad decides to open the package.

Inside is a cassette tape. The light changes and a car

behind him honks. He starts forward and inserts the tape.

INT. SUBWAY

Finch crawls up onto the platform of V's hidden station,

staring at the beautiful old train car.

INT. CONRAD'S CAR

Strangling the steering wheel, Conrad listens to the tape.

The speedometer climbs as everything seems to accelerate.

TAPE (V.O.)

Do you know what I want? I want

you just like this... bent over

that black leather chair.

Helen moans.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Finch steps inside the car, his flashlight sweeping over the

stacks of gelignite.

FINCH:

Oh my god.

INT. CONRAD'S CAR

A scream builds in Conrad. With tears in his eyes, he stares

out the windshield but sees only the images created by the

tape.

TAPE (V.O.)

Use the Finger?... You mean like

this?... Oh... That's vulgar... But

you like it?... Yes... oh yes.

Conrad loses control and the car careens up onto the sidewalk

and smashes into a brick wall.

Lifting his bloodied forehead, Conrad looks out and sees the

ubiquitous poster partially destroyed by the crash: "Strength

through purity, purity through faith."

INT. TRAIN CAR

Finch hears something and jerks back, almost falling out of

the car. Aiming his gun, he finds no one. He turns and

bolts.

As the sound of his footsteps fade, V steps out of the

shadows.

INT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

The Leader's Lieutenant looks up from his desk and sees Finch

rushing towards him.

FINCH:

Is the Leader in?

LIEUTENANT:

Yes, but he's meeting with the

Captain of the Guard.

FINCH:

Perfect.

LIEUTENANT:

Mr. Finch, you can't go in --

Finch charges through the doors.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader and his Captain turn.

LEADER:

Mr. Finch?

FINCH:

Leader, I need as many men the

Captain can spare and I need them

right now.

CAPTAIN:

What for?

FINCH:

To capture codename V.

EXT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

Creedy opens the trunk of his car. In the phosphorescent

glow of the streetlight, the set of knives gleam. He bundles

the costume that he tried to planet on Finch into his arms,

then slams the trunk.

Above, a window blind that was cracked open snaps shut.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader moves towards Finch.

FINCH:

He's underground. The old subway.

I know exactly what he's going to

do. If we move quickly, we can be

there, waiting for him.

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

Conrad waits, hidden inside a bedroom closet. He hears the

front door close and his grip tightens around the handle of a

long, steel-necked hammer.

INT. LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader is steadily convincing himself of something.

FINCH:

Leader, every second we delay...

The Leader lifts his hand, silencing Finch.

LEADER:

I'm coming with you.

GUARD:

Sir --

LEADER:

There will be no discussion --

GUARD:

But if Mr. Finch is right --

LEADER:

I am sick to death of this

terrorist being everywhere and

nowhere! I will judge whether Mr.

Finch is right and I will judge it

with my own eyes! Do I make myself

clear, Captain?

CAPTAIN:

Sir, yes, sir!

Finch is suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling that is common to

chess players. It is the disturbing sense that you have just

done exactly what your opponent wanted.

LEADER:

Is there a problem, Mr. Finch?

FINCH:

No... no sir.

LEADER:

Good. Captain, mobilize your men.

CAPTAIN:

Sir, yes, sir.

LEADER:

We'll find this bloody bastard and

we will finish him.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Evey sits in the gallery, reading Pynchon's "V" just as V had

done. She suddenly feels V watching her.

EVEY:

V?

V:

Yes.

Evey smiles as V steps out of the shadows.

EVEY:

V, what's going to happen?

V:

Change, Evey. That's all. Just

change.

EVEY:

Is it going to be violent?

V:

Yes, I suppose it will.

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

Creedy empties a bottom drawer, making room to hide the

costume. As he does, the closet door behind him slowly

creeps open.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V stands at the jukebox.

EVEY:

But why? Why must is be violent?

V:

Because, Evey, that is the nature

of change. She is a temperamental

creature that appears in earnest

rarely but, when she does, she will

wear one of two faces. The first

face is the destroyer. It is

lamentable but all true change

begins with death.

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

A dark figure stands over Creedy. The hammer raises, a slash

of silver against the velvety darkness.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V punches a button on the jukebox just as --

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

The hammer falls with a sickening soft crunch.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

The song begins to play; a melancholy song that says goodbye

to love.

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

Blood pours down Creedy's snarling face, he snatches one of

V's knives as another hammer blow cracks through his collar

bone.

He screams, lunging at Conrad.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

V listens to the song, the smiling eyes somehow knowing.

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

The hammer falls again and again until the metal head is

slick with blood and meat.

Conrad stumbles back, dropping the hammer. He looks down at

the hilt of the knife protruding from his stomach. He yanks

it out and holds V's knife which is bright red with his own

blood.

He collapses to the floor.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

The song continues.

EVEY:

What is the other face, V?

V:

The other face? She is the true

face of change. The face of the

creator. She is the one that

remakes the world. Evey?

EVEY:

Yes, V?

V:

May I ask you for a favor?

EVEY:

Of course.

V:

It is a small thing but it would

mean a great deal to me.

EVEY:

Tell me.

V:

I've never danced before. I've

thought about it many times, here

in this room, listening to the

music. But I've always been alone.

Evey smiles and crosses to him.

EVEY:

It would be my pleasure.

He opens his arms and she steps into them. They dance,

standing very close, his gloved hand holding tightly to hers,

her smile against his.

EXT. CITY STREET

Dozens of military vehicles swarm around the entrance to

Victoria Station while heavily armed men pour through the

gates of the underground.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

The song ends.

V:

Thank you, Evey. You are an

excellent dancer.

EVEY:

All it takes is a little practice.

V:

Alas, I have run out of time.

He bows, pressing his frozen lips to her hand. Evey is

suddenly nervous.

EVEY:

V? What are you going to do?

V:

Don't you remember? I have a date

tonight, Evey.

EVEY:

You're coming back though, aren't

you?

She seizes hold of his hand.

EVEY:

V, I won't let you leave unless you

promise me that you will come back.

V:

Of course, I'll be back. You don't

think you can be rid of me now, do

you?

EVEY:

Just promise.

V:

I promise.

She lets him go.

INT. TRAIN STATION

Soldiers swarm through the station. Susan stares in shock,

outraged by the mere presence of the train.

LEADER:

Mark my words, Mr. Finch, this man

is going to become an example so

that every man, woman, and child in

this country will remember what

happens to those who would ever

think to stand against the state.

He turns to the Captain.

LEADER:

Captain, I need a gas unit down

here with enough nerve gas to fill

every rat-hole in these tunnels.

Suddenly the lights go out.

FINCH:

I don't think that will be

necessary.

The Leader smiles.

LEADER:

There are over one hundred of the

best trained soldiers in this

country down here. Let him come.

INT. TRAIN TUNNELS

Five soldiers creep forward in a tight formation, their

flashlights probing every nook and cranny.

Behind them, a secret passage opens and V steps out.

He is among them with frightful speed, a grinning dervish

with blades like metal fangs ripping and rending flesh,

slashing bright in the flashlight.

Other soldiers rush towards the screams and gunfire but they

find only five bodies and warm blood running down the walls.

LEADER:

Captain, what's happening?

RADIO (V.O.)

No sign sir. Repeat, no sign of

him.

CAPTAIN:

They lost him.

From the opposite end, there is another series of screams and

machine gun fire that lights up the dark tunnel for a moment.

Then, nothing.

FINCH:

This... this is a mistake.

LEADER:

Don't tell me you're a coward, Mr.

Finch.

Back in the tunnels, V drops from above, his cloak a swirling

cloud of squid ink that hides him in the darkness.

Again, quicksilver knives lash out, drawing fonts of blood.

INT. TRAIN STATION

Finch can feel the panic that is spreading through the

tunnel.

FINCH:

Leader, we have to get out of here!

LEADER:

This was your idea.

FINCH:

It was a mistake. This is what he

wants. He knows us, Leader. He

knows us too well. We have to get

out of here before it's too late --

A voice rings out from hidden speakers, echoing through the

tunnels.

V (V.O.)

Good evening citizens of London.

This is the voice of Fate. Your

fate...

LEADER:

What trick is this?

V (V.O.)

Tonight, the face of London is

going to change and I am going to

offer you the chance to change with

her. Your Leader is finished. He

will not leave these tunnels alive.

The Leader screams to be heard over the resonant voice of V.

LEADER:

This is an outrage! I order you

not to listen to this!

V (V.O.)

At midnight tonight, the Head will

be destroyed and a new era will

begin. You must now decide if you

are going to be a part of that era.

Everywhere, terrified soldiers listen to the voice.

V (V.O.)

You can choose to stay here and die

with your Leader or you can choose

to be free. The decision is yours

and yours alone.

LEADER:

Captain, order all your men to fall

back and secure this position!

V (V.O.)

Some of you have wives. Some of

you have families. All of you have

lives. Consider each of them as

you ask yourself, are they a part

of the past, or are they a part of

the future?

CAPTAIN:

Fall back. Fall back and secure

the central platform.

Deep in the tunnel, two soldiers look at each other.

Simultaneously, they drop their guns and run.

LEADER:

Any man that disobeys this order

will be court marshaled!

Groups of solders drop their weapons and disappear into the

shadows.

LEADER:

Captain! Captain, where are your

men?

The station fills with the sound of boots running wildly

away.

LEADER:

Goddammit, I will not tolerate this

insubordination! I want those

deserters shot, Captain.

Finch slowly draws back away from the Leader.

LEADER:

Shot on sight!

The few men on the platform are soon the only men left.

CAPTAIN:

You! You! Point position. We're

getting out of here! Now!

A knife sings through the air and buries itself in the

Captain's chest. With a tiny rasp, he falls to the ground.

The remaining men bolt.

LEADER:

Traitors! You cowards!

He grabs for the Captain's machine gun.

LEADER:

I know who you are! I'll see you

hang! Every last one of you!

"You" echoes down the dark empty throat of the tunnel.

The Leader looks around, his flashlight sweeping in big arcs

as he realizes that he is alone.

LEADER:

Finch? Finch! Finch, goddammit,

you can't leave me! Don't leave

me!

V:

You are going to die as you ruled --

The Leader screams, whipping around towards the voice.

V:

Alone.

The smile is as cold and as sharp as the knife that flicks

from his hand.

The Leader raises his gun just when the knife sinks into his

shoulder.

Howling in pain, he drops the gun.

LEADER:

Damn you! Damn you!

V smiles into the spot of his flashlight.

LEADER:

Conrad? Is that you? You're

working with Finch, aren't you?

And Creedy! You're all in this

together!

V closes in.

LEADER:

Who are you?

V:

You, most of all, should know,

Leader. You created me. Without

you, I would never be. More than

life, Leader, you gave me purpose.

V draws his final blade.

V:

"He that killeth with the sword,

shall be killed with the sword."

V raises the knife.

LEADER:

Noooo!

FINCH:

Don't move!

V and the Leader turn to find Finch aiming a machine gun at

V.

LEADER:

Mr. Finch! Oh god, Mr. Finch!

FINCH:

Drop the knife.

V does and Susan begins an almost hysterical laugh.

LEADER:

Oh, I knew it, Mr. Finch. I knew

you wouldn't desert me. You're a

good man, Finch. A damn good man.

FINCH:

No, Mr. Susan. No, I'm not. I'm a

man who does his job and does what

he's told. For twenty seven years,

that's all I've been.

He steps toward V, staring into his smiling black eyes.

LEADER:

Careful, Mr. Finch. He's quick as

the devil.

Finch ignores the Leader.

FINCH:

I've read Delia's diary over and

over all year. It sickens me but I

am unable to judge her. I am as

guilty as she.

LEADER:

Mr. Finch, what are you doing?

Shoot him. Kill the bastard,

Finch.

FINCH:

I have no excuse. I did what I was

told to do.

LEADER:

Finch, I order you to shoot him!

Finch!

FINCH:

My job was to find you and catch

you. I've done my job. I've done

it for the last time. I'm tired of

it. I'm tired of it all.

He tosses the gun to the Leader.

FINCH:

Kill him yourself if you can.

The Leader seethes, his eyes boring into Finch.

FINCH:

Thank you, V. And goodbye.

V:

Goodbye, Mr. Finch.

The machine gun burst shatters the quiet concrete silence.

Finch falls dead at V's feet.

LEADER:

I warned you, Finch, the penalty

for treason is death.

He aims the gun at V.

LEADER:

Are you ready to die?

V:

The real question is, are you?

The Leader laughs.

LEADER:

Do you really believe you can pick

up that knife before I pull this

trigger?

V:

No. But I don't have to.

Almost casually, V bends down to pick up the knife --

The Leader screams and fires.

Bullets knock V back a bit but he continues, grabbing the

knife and standing.

Eyes widening with disbelief, the Leader fires another blast

as V begins walking towards him.

The machine gun roars, bullets shredding out through the back

of V's cloak as he continues with short deliberate steps

until --

The hammer clicks against the pin. The gun is empty.

V stands before him.

V:

You see? You cannot kill me.

There is no flesh and blood within

this cloak to kill. There is only

an idea.

V smiles.

V:

And ideas are bulletproof.

The Leader screams.

V drives the knife into his heart, killing him instantly.

V stands alone amidst the carnage and seeping pools of red.

His body wavers. He takes his hands out from beneath his

cloak and reveals his gloves, wet with blood.

INT. CONRAD'S HOUSE

The front door opens and Helen enters.

HELEN:

Creedy? Creedy, you dumb bastard,

you left your car parked in front.

She walks up the stairs to the bedroom.

HELEN:

What did I tell you? Creedy.

INT. BEDROOM

She steps into the room, her sole and heel sinking into the

plush carpet soaked with blood.

HELEN:

Oh my god.

When she sees Creedy's head mashed open, she covers her

mouth.

CONRAD:

Helen...

Conrad has propped himself against the bed.

HELEN:

Conrad! What have you done?

CONRAD:

I won, Helen. I did it. I won.

I'm the better man.

He crawls toward her, slipping on the wet carpet.

CONRAD:

We've been through a bad patch,

Helen. But now, he's gone...

There's nothing to come between

us...

He reaches for her foot, his hand gloved with wet red.

HELEN:

Don't touch me! You stupid piece

of sh*t! You've ruined it! I had

it all planned perfectly and you've

ruined it!

She checks her watch; two hours to midnight.

HELEN:

I have to get out of here! I have

to get away!

Conrad seizes hold of her ankle.

CONRAD:

Helen --

HELEN:

No! Let go! Now!

The look in his eyes frightens her. She tries to kick free

of him but he won't let go. Twisting, she reaches for the

door but slips on the carpet.

HELEN:

Conrad, damn you! Let me go!

CONRAD:

No, Helen, you're not leaving me...

not this time... not ever.

He crawls up her body still clutching the bloody knife.

HELEN:

No, please! Oh god, no! Oh god,

please help me!

Conrad raises the knife.

CONRAD:

No one can help us, Helen. God is

dead.

The knife falls.

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Evey hears V on the spiral staircase.

EVEY:

V?

Scarlet footprints trail behind V as he struggles down the

stairs.

EVEY:

You came back.

He nods and then collapses, rolling down the rest of the

stairs.

EVEY:

V! V!

Running to him, she falls to his side. His clothes are slick

with blood.

EVEY:

Oh god, what happened?

V:

Evey...

EVEY:

You need a doctor.

V:

It's too late for that...

EVEY:

No, don't say that!

V:

Evey, listen to me. I've not long

and there are things that must be

said.

His voice strains beneath the mask.

V:

I have done that which I came to

do. Now, it is time for me to rest

and with me the past will, at last,

find peace.

Trembling, Evey holds him.

V:

But the world, the world is not

saved... Do not think that, when

the fires die and the smoke clears,

there is no miracle... there is

only a path... upon which they must

learn to rule themselves.

EVEY:

Yes, they need you, V.

V:

Not me, Evey, not me. I told you I

am the villain. The destroyer...

But yes, they will need help...

He reaches up and wipes a tear from her cheek.

V:

I kept my promise to you, Evey...

Now you must promise me.

EVEY:

What?

V:

Promise me... you will discover the

face under this mask... but you

will never look beneath it.

EVEY:

I don't understand.

V:

Promise me. Please...

EVEY:

I promise.

V:

Sweet Eve. Wherever I shall go, I

shall always love you.

EVEY:

V, you are not going anywhere!

V:

Midnight... Midnight. Eve... Make

them remember...

EVEY:

You're not going to die, V!

V:

Let me be there, Evey, when it

begins... Please, let me hear the

music, one last time... my music...

EVEY:

I won't let you die!

V:

I know you won't... I know...

EVEY:

V!

V:

My love... Ave Atque vale...

Holding him as tight as she can, she feels his life drain

away, slipping through her arms in the way the last grains of

sand pour through the neck of the hourglass.

She buries her face beside his and weeps.

EXT. CITY STREET

An enormous crowd has begun to gather in the streets

surrounding the New Government Building. With the crowd, a

restlessness swells against each barricade erected by the

military.

A sergeant stands on an armored car, speaking through a

megaphone.

SERGEANT:

Return to your homes! There is

nothing to see! The terrorist is

dead!

RABBLE ROUSER 1

He ain't dead!

RABBLE ROUSER 2

He'll be here, just like he said!

INT. SHADOW GALLERY

Evey huddles against the stair railing, her face tear

stained, staring at the lifeless body of V.

EVEY (V.O.)

I remember... I remember staring at

the mask, at that smile.

She touches the mask, her fingers finding its edge.

EVEY (V.O.)

Part of me couldn't believe he was

dead and maybe that was why. The

smile was still the same.

It made me want to tear it off so I

could see the face, so I could see

that he was dead.

Her fingers stop.

EVEY (V.O.)

But I had promised.

V (V.O.)

You will discover the face under

this mask but you will never look

beneath it.

EVEY (V.O.)

I began to try to imagine his face.

Of course, I had long pictured my

father behind that smile but I knew

in my heart that V was not my

father.

Evey stares into the eyes, the dark, empty eyes.

EVEY (V.O.)

Yet every time I pictured another

face, any face, something was lost,

something important was somehow

diminished. V was more than a

face. V was V.

Her expression changes.

EVEY (V.O.)

And then, quite suddenly, quite

naturally, I realized whose face

must be beneath that mask. It was

the only face that mattered.

EVEY:

I won't let you die.

V (V.O.)

I know you won't... I know.

A small smile creeps across her face.

EXT. CITY STREET

Midnight approaches and the crowd feels it. Spilling

everywhere, they fill the streets like a flood.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Evey sets a final violet carson on the chest of V. He is

lying on a bed made of gelignite, covered in roses.

Touching his mask, she bends over him.

EVEY:

Goodbye, my love.

Tenderly, she presses her lips to the smile, her eyes

closing, her final tears blinking free.

She backs away and V smiles, his lips wet with her kiss, his

cheek wet with her tears.

EVEY (V.O.)

"Ave Atque vale."

On the train platform, Evey reaches through the window and

starts the train.

EVEY (V.O.)

I looked it up the next morning.

The wheels churn as the train lurches forward.

EVEY (V.O.)

"Hail and farewell."

V (V.O.)

"Make them remember..."

She watches the train disappear into the tunnel.

EVEY:

They will, my love. They will.

EXT. CITY STREET

The crowd surges against a barricade when a voice cries out

across the city echoing through the megaphone on every

corner.

EVEY (V.O.)

"Remember, remember, the fifth of

November!"

High above the gathered mass, a masked figure steps out onto

a roof parapet.

The crowd explodes.

INT. SUBWAY

The train barrels along, screaming against its rusted rails.

EXT. ROOFTOP

Dressed as V, Evey stands on the roof's edge, speaking into a

microphone.

EVEY:

I have come here tonight to keep a

promise. A promise that is over

four hundred years old. Tonight I

am here to give you your freedom!

Again, the crowd bursts into a frenzy.

EVEY:

Since mankind's dawn a handful of

oppressors have accepted the

responsibility over our lives,

responsibility that we should have

accepted ourselves. By doing so,

they took our power. By doing

nothing, we gave it away.

The voice booms over the mesmerized crowd.

EVEY:

Tonight, our world will change.

Our leaders will be gone and we

must choose what comes next. A

return to the chains of others or

lives of our own. A world of the

past or one of the future.

She feels the sea of humanity beneath her, almost channeling

their energy.

EVEY:

Let us choose carefully, London,

and when we do, let us mark well

and remember, remember this fifth

of November!

The crowd screams as one and their scream becomes --

INT. SUBWAY

The train hurling like a bullet through a gun barrel. Ahead

the tracks end, buried beneath the rubble of the collapsed

tunnel.

INT. TRAIN CAR

Inside the rattling train, V lays in perfect repose.

V (V.O.)

Let me be there, Evey, when it

begins...

EXT. ROOFTOPS

Hidden and alone, Evey pulls the mask from her face.

V (V.O.)

Please let me hear the music... one

last time... my music.

Almost unconsciously, Evey raises her hand and coaxes the

first soft notes as he had once done.

V (V.O.)

At first, you have to listen

carefully.

The violins of the 1812 overture steadily rise.

V (V.O.)

Ah, yes. There it is. Beautiful,

is it not?

Evey smiles, her hand still gently conducting.

EVEY:

Yes, my love. Yes it is.

INT. SUBWAY

With the clash of cymbals, the train crashes into the wall of

rubble.

EXT. NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

The entire building opens like a time-lapsed rose blooming

with brilliant orange petals of flame.

EXT. CITY STREET

The crowd is awash in the baptismal glow of erupting flame.

EXT. ROOFTOP

Evey watches the explosion, a star-burst of flaming debris

searing against the night sky like fireworks.

EXT. CITY STREET

The masses burst through the barricades with a euphoric

frenzy.

EXT. ROOFTOP

The explosion begins to slowly die.

EVEY (V.O.)

I know that there is only one way

to repay him for what he did.

She looks down at the mask.

EVEY (V.O.)

And I know that that way is going

to take a lot of hard work.

She smiles.

EVEY (V.O.)

I know this like I know the sun

will rise tomorrow and beneath that

new sun, our work will begin.

The fire fades and Evey turns, cradling the mask, and walks

away.

FADE OUT.

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